


Hospital Bed

by CurrentlyLost



Category: My Chemical Romance, frerard - Fandom
Genre: Especially Gee, Frerard, Guaranteed happy ending, He really loves Frank, Its not really Waycest, Jamia is a weird nurse with a strong infatuation with Gee, M/M, Mentions of suicide in one chapter, Mikey just has feelings for Gerard and they kiss often, Ray is a doctor in this fic too, They go through a lot, coma fic, completed fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2018-07-14 12:21:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7170830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurrentlyLost/pseuds/CurrentlyLost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Your partner, a Mr. Iero, is in a comatose state. From all the tests we have run, we aren't positive when or if he going to wake up," the doctor explained,</p>
<p>"Run the tests again! Do whatever the hell you have to! He is going to wake up!" He yelled. He slowly and painfully got up from his hospital bed and shakily stood before standing straight up.</p>
<p>"Take me to my fiancé," he said. Frankie would never leave him waiting for too long, he thought. He'll wake up within the next few days. Won't he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Frank covered his mouth in shock as he looked at his boyfriend, Gerard, of 6 years. There he was, on one knee, and a box in his hands.

"Will you marry me, Frankie?" He asked him. Franks dropped to his knees and nodded excitedly.

"Fuck yes! How could you possibly think I'd say no?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging Gerard closely.

"I just wanted to make sure, baby," Gerard answered as he breathed in the scent of the love of his life and his soon-to-be-husband. "I love you, " he said huskily into Frank's ear. The sound sent shivers down his spine and Frank felt his pants tighten with his arousal. He pressed himself against Gerard harder, and then pulled away to look at him.

"How about we go home and celebrate?" He asked Gerard. Frank didn't miss the light dust of pink across his fiance's cheeks, and he, too, blushed. Gerard stood up and helped Frank to his feet.

"Yes, let's go home. Light some candles, put on some Al Green," Gerard laughed, trailing off his sentence. Frank rolled his eyes, smiling at his soon-to-be-husband's obsession with quotes and references.

"Oh, hush. You'll have plenty of time to make your precious references once we get home." Gerard opened the door for him and he slid inside.

"Such a gentlemen," Frank teased and Gerard stuck his tongue out at him. "And also apparently a child."

"Well, you love this child so don't be complaining!" Gerard exclaimed as he shut the door. Frank laughed wildly in the car at Gerard's tantrum. His laughing increased more when he slid into the driver's seat.

"What's so funny?" Gerard asked him as he turned the ignition.

"Nothing, Gee Bear. Let's just go home, okay?" He placed his hand on Gerard's thigh and slowly ran his hand up and onto Gerard's bulge.

"Yes, sir," Gerard replied as he pulled out of the parking lot of the Laguna Beach in California. Frank took his hand away, knowing better than to tease Gerard when he was drives since his biggest phobia was getting into a car accident and dying or slipping into a coma.

"Say, we should watch a movie when we get home!" Gerard suggests.

"Oh, no, no, no! We're not gonna watch the Wizard of Oz again," Frank laughs, "I swear you're obsessed with that-" Frank was cut off by Gerard slamming his foot on the breaks, screaming his name. Everything went silent as the two rolled over in their car. Gerard watched as Frank's seatbelt ripped off and he was thrown from the car through the windshield. His face heading towards the steering wheel is the last thing he saw.

 

*****

 

Gerard slowly opened his eyes. He took in a big breath and automatically knew where he was by how sterile everything felt against his skin. He shivered in disgust, but quickly regretted moving any part of his body as a wave of excruciating pain shot through his body. He yelled out in pain, but then remembered that Frank was with him. He quickly sat up despite the pain telling him to stop.

"Frank!" It was at that time, a doctor came into his room and noticed he was awake.

"Hello. Gerard. I'm Dr. Toro, and I'd like to talk to you for a moment."

"Where is my fiance?" Gerard demanded.

"Let's talk about you right now. Firstly, I need you to lay back down, because you have three broken ribs, a concussion, a punctured lung, a broken arm, and a dislocated shoulder. Well, it was dislocated until we put it back in your socket," Dr. Toro explained. Though Gerard would be lying if he said he wasn't distracted by his doctor's wild hair. But he shook myself out of it.

"Yeah, okay. Where's my fiance?" Gerard asked him again.

"Your partner, a Mr. Iero, is in a comatose state. From all the tests we have run , we aren't positive when or if he going to wake up," the doctor explained,

"Run the tests again! Do whatever the hell you have to! He is going to wake up!" He yelled. Gerard slowly and painfully got up from my hospital bed and shakily stood before standing straight up. The pain didn't matter to me, he thought. If his Frankie needed him, he was going to be there despite his body telling him other wise

"Take me to my fiancé," He said. My Frankie would never leave me waiting for too long, he thought. He'll wake up within the next few days. Won't he?..

"Mr. Way, I advise you to stay in bed! You can see him when you're better. Think about your condition!" Dr. Toro explained. Gerard ripped out the disgusting needles from his arm and clutched the wall to keep himself balanced.

"Either you take me to him, or I go on my own," he said. His doctor sighed and grabbed a wheelchair from the side on the room and unfolded it.

"Take a seat," he told Gerard. He did as he was told and was then rolled into the ICU. He covered his mouth as Frank's body came into view. He looked dead, he thought. If it weren't for the steady beeps of the machine next to his bed, Gerard definitely would've thought his fiance was dead.

"Oh, Frankie," he voice broke. He grabbed Frank's hand and sobbed against it. "Please wake up, Frankie. Please, please don't leave me alone like this. We're going to be getting married soon remember, so please don't leaving me waiting at the alter!" He wailed against Frank's body. He knew he probably sounded like he were lead role in a novella that his grandmother used to watch, but he could care less. The man he loved was asleep and he couldn't be woken up by a simple shake or a kiss to him lips no matter how many time he shook and kissed him. Gerard clutched Frank's hand and didn't let go, even when their hands began to sweat even though he always hated that. He stayed sitting in the wheelchair, partially laying on the bed, holding Frank's hand through the entire night...

"I know you'll wake up soon. I love you, Frankie. I love you so much," Gerard whispered as he finally succumbed to his need for sleep.


	2. Two Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How they met.

Gerard's mind wanders into the past as the future keeps passing his Frankie by. He remembers the first time they met. They were both freshman in high school. Gerard was 15 and Frank was 14. They met at the Starbucks across the street from the school while they were supposed to be in school. They ended up leaving the district at the same time and looked at each other awkwardly as they sat on opposite sides of the coffee shop. To his surprise, Frank approached him and sat down across from him and striked up a conversation.

_"Hey. I'm Frank," he said almost nervously as he extended his hand out for Gerard to shake._

_"I'm Gerard," he answered as he took his hand and shook it. They smiled at each other and continued sipping their coffee._

_"What kind did you get?" Franks asks him. "I got a sweet caramel coffee with a fuckload of whipped cream," he laughed. Gerard smiled._

_"I got regular black coffee," he answered. Frank gave him a shocked look, then a look of respect._

_"That's brave. I'll tell your story! The Legend of Gerard, the Man Who Could Drink Anything!" He exclaimed loudly. They received a few stares from his outburst. Frank laughed nervously and covered his face, clearly embarrassed and Gerard laughed loudly, making them receive more stares. Frank realized that he did that so he wouldn't feel so alone. As a result, they both laughed louder and louder as they finished their coffee until they were actually asked to leave because they were being too loud._

_They walked back to the school in time for their last period. They parted ways and ended up making a silent agreement that they would do this every Monday morning before school and then go together. Eventually, they became best friends and were inseparable. They really didn't have any other friends and that was okay with them. Frank loved to stare at Gerard while he was drawing, and Gerard never told him that when Frank looked away, he would look up at him to draw him._

Gerard looked down at Frank. It's been two months since he'd entered his deep sleep. During that time, Gerard was there every day. But he knew he had to find a job quickly, because all of his savings was almost up. He'd just paid for this month and would have enough for one more month, but then he had to find one quickly. His mother was extremely upset, because all the money he'd saved up for years and years was quickly vanishing. He didn't care about any of that. This was the love of his life and even though he hadn't legally taken the oath, in sickness and in health still meant something to him. Though, not even death could do them part. Gerard leaned over and kissed Frankie's forehead. It was a habit they picked up about a year into their friendship. If they were about to go somewhere, they were kiss the other on the forehead. No words spoken. Neither of them commented on it. Gerard remembered the first time Frank did that.

_Gerard stared at Frank in shock and touched the corner of his forehead where Frank's lips had just been pressed against a few seconds earlier. Frank smiled at him and then took off. He couldn't figure out why, but then when Frank came back, he had to leave again, so he repeated the act. Gerard realized that was his way of saying he'll be back without words and it became second nature. They were normally very quick about it and no one ever saw, until they did one day._

_"What the fuck was that? Did you guys see that? That kid just kissed that other boy on the forehead!" One boy laughed. Gerard grimaced and just turned the other cheek._

_"Faggots!" He yelled. Gerard quickly stood and made his way over there. Frank wasn't here to stop him so there was nothing stopping him. He punched that guy in the jaw and ended up breaking it out of place. Upon hearing this news, Gerard knew to defend himself. It was hate crime. He always hated when his sexuality was made fun of. He didn't make fun of their love of vaginas so why should they be able to make fun of his love for dick? He lived by this motto since he was a little boy trying to dress in women's clothing. Since he found himself attracted to guys. Since he fell in love with Frank. Frank came back and saw him standing over the boy and immediately ran over to him._

_"Gerard, what happened?!" He asked, clutching Gerard's shoulder._

_"Nothing. Let's go, Frankie," Gerard said as he pulled him in the other direction. Frank never found out what it was until he finally convinced Gerard to tell him at which point he gave him a high five and they laughed together._

"You know, I heard that guy is a correctional officer. Pretty interesting, huh? I ran into him a couple of weeks ago and we talk for a little bit. He apologized and then I told him that you and I were getting married, but then... you know. He wanted me to send you his prayers. Never struck me as a religious type, but, hey. Whatever works for him, you know. I'm sorry, baby. I'm just rambling on. I'm going to take a quick nap though, okay?" Gerard then climbed on the bed right next to Frank and draped an arm over Frank's abdomen, and snuggled closer to him. He felt smaller under Gerard's touch, he noted and he suddenly felt the tears prickling at his eyes. He couldn't cry here with him though. If the doctor's are right, then Frank can hear him, and he didn't want him to hear how upset he was because Frank couldn't wake up until his body and mind were ready. He'd wait the rest of his life for him, if he had to. But if it ever got to so many years, he'd have to euthanize him. Frank wouldn't want his life to pass right by him, and he'd told Gerard this many times. Even though it would hurt him, he had to do what Frank asked of him. That wouldn't be for years though, and Frank was going to wake up soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me some feedback! That'd be pretty awesome <3


	3. Four Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Mikey

Gerard sighed as he looked down at Frank. I rushed over here on his way to work. He'd gotten a job last month working at a theater and would soon be starting his second job, at a restaurant. Even though he wanted to work in a comic book store, it didn't pay nearly as much as the fast food place and he needed to make a lot of money as quick as possible. Frank was his number one priority, and no matter how many times Dr. Toro had told him to just rest easy or he'll become sick, Gerard knew there was no way he was just going to mope about. He was going to support his future husband.

He grabbed Frank's hand and admired the ring on his finger. They'd found his engagement ring in the wreck and he had to take it to be cleaned before he put in on Frank. Gerard snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open; he looked over and saw their forever-faithful doctor. Over the past few months, they'd become really good friends and even went out for drinks a few times; moreover, Gerard trusted the man most.

"Gerard, we got some test results back," he started, "and they don't look very good. Although it's a slim chance, it's still there." Gerard looked at the man confused. He knew something had to be bad, but what tests?

"Brain test," Dr. Toro clarified. Gerard ran his hand down his face, looking distraught.

"What do they say?" He asked the doctor hesitantly.

"There's been a decline in brain activity. If this keeps up, he may wake up, but will not be the same person you, or even he, remembers. He'd respond to some things, but he'd be in a vegetative state." Gerard sat down and held his head. If only he'd been more careful, if only the shithead who rammed into them were in Frank's position instead of healing regularly in another hospital. He'd done a lot of research about coma's and he understood that he needed to be calm or his beloved Frankie would be able to hear him. He couldn't hear him, not when he was like this.

"Gerard, I understand this is hard on you, but you need to remain calm." Gerard raised his head up to look at Ray, his doctor.

"What do you think I'm doing?" He struggled to say. He felt so much pain in his chest, and he didn't know what to do with it, how to let it out.

"I think you're hyperventilating. Take deep, slow breaths. Start counting to three in your mind repeatedly. Gerard listened and did as he was instructed. He felt better after a while, even if he was a little tired. He stood after a few minutes, and straightened himself out. Today he was going to be a server for a theater so he couldn't miss his first showtime.

"Thanks, Ray. I need to head to work," he said as he leaned down and kissed the side of Frank's forehead. "I love you," he whispered softly. He gave Ray a smile before walking past him and out of the hospital room. He quickly walked to the theater, which was down the road. He chose to work in places very close to the hospital so he could stay with Frank longer both before and after work. He ran inside the building and ran into the new server he was training.

"Hey, Mikey. Ready to get to work. Here, follow me, and we'll clock in together," he spoke quickly, because, in this business, you can't just stand around. The theater he worked at, Cinema Times was not only a theater, but a restaurant. People would order drinks and food from their seats and runners (food or drink runners) would go out and deliver them. It was hectic most nights, but it was good pay and a lot of cool people worked here. The poor boy looked scared, and Gerard was confused on why they'd put him on a trainer so soon. He only started two days ago and was still occasionally a lost puppy, but he thought Mikey was an adorable kid so he didn't mind training him.

After clocking in, they both went to retrieve aprons and stock them up with pens, paper, and a bunch of straws.

"Hey, Gee!" Gerard turned in the direction of the voice and saw his favorite person(next to Frank) and cook waving at him frantically. Gerard laughed and waved back just as wildly.

"Hey, Bertlebee!" Bert laughed at the nickname and got back to making food.

"Come on, Mikey. Let's go to the theater and see if there's anything we need to stock up on. You know what, you go do that, and I'll go see how many people are sitting in. Expect a lot though," he explained to him as he walked in the direction of the front desk, where his manager was.

"Hey, Brian! How many people are going to be seating in 4?" He asked him.

"Sold out. So make sure the new kid can keep up. He looks like a chihuahua, always shaking in fear," they both chuckled. "No, but have you noticed that you guys kind of look alike?" Brain asked. Gerard thought about it for a moment.

"No, I don't see it."

"Really? Me and a few others have been talking about it and there's a big similarity. Maybe he's your long lost brother or something," he laughed. Gerard laughed too.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Bri."

"Why were you late today? You're normally early. Is everything all right with Frank?" Gerard had told his manager about his fiancee, because he came to trust him. Brian helped him with anything he needed, and he even went out to drink with him and Ray before. The night ended terribly when they had a Hangover movie experience. They still don't know what happened that night, but they were too scared to find out. Ray and Gerard were the only ones who knew of Brian's "Slutty Girl" tramp stamp, and they still laughed about it often, but never when Brian was around.

"Uh.. yeah, actually. It's not looking so good. I'll explain later though, I gotta check up on Mikey." Brian nodded and Gerard went on his way, jogging down the long red and black carpeted hall and sprinting into the theater.

"Mikey!" He called out behind him. He watched in amusement as Mikey jumped and dropped his pen and notepad. He burst out in laugher and then picked up his things, handing them back to Mikey. Gerard saw his small pout and he pinched Mikey's cheek.

"You're so adorable!" He squealed. "Anyways, is everything stocked?"

"Y-yes. There were a few seats that needed silverware, but I replaced it already." As he finished his sentence, the lights started to dim.

"Okay, people are going to start coming in. We wait until their in their seats. See these buttons right here?" He asked as he pushed one and it lit up orange. Mikey nodded and Gerard continued. "If you see that, go to them and see what they need. Make sure to turn it off, too, or we won't know who needs help and who has already been helped," he explained. Mikey nodded again. But then seemed like he wanted to ask a question.

"What.. What i-if... they yell at me?" He asked Gerard. Gerard gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Then just be professional. And if someone complains, I'll talk to Brian and help you out, okay? I don't exactly have the best attitude against assholes and I make that known. but you're still new and I want you to stay so refrain from being a smartass for now, okay?" Gerard put his arm around his shoulder and something felt right in that moment. Such a feeling made Gerard want to cry, but he shook that feeling away as people starting coming in. He looked down next to him, peering down at Mikey and noticing his fear and nervousness, and gently pushed his shoulder against his. Mikey looked up and him and watched as Gerard gave him a smile before returning it.

The whole night consisted of running themselves ragged, but the good thing about it was that they were able to watch a majority of the movie. By the end of the night, they were both dead tired. and ready to go home. But Gerard still wanted to make his stop at the hospital. He told Mikey he would walk him home since he lived in the same area, but told him that he wanted to make a stop first.

"Sure. I kind of don't want to go home right now, anyways," he said as they walked out of the theater.

"We're going to the hospital right down the road there, so you can just wait outside if you'd like," Gerard explained. He knew some people hated hospitals, and while he was one of them, he wasn't going to let that stop him from seeing Frank.

"Why do you need to go there?" Mikey asked hesitantly. Gerard chuckled.

"My fiance is there," he said.

"What's her name?"

"He. His name is Frank."

"I see. That's lovely. I hope he's okay, you know. I would hate it if my fiancee was there," Mikey said.

"I do. I really, really hate it."

"Why is he in there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"We got into a car accident about four months ago. I was fortunate to be walking around like I am now, but Frank wasn't so lucky. He's in a coma and they aren't sure if he's going to come out of it. On top of that, his brain test came back today and showed signs of his brain activity decreasing, meaning there's a chance he'll be brain dead when he wakes up," Gerard poured out. He couldn't hold it in anymore and he walking slowed down and came to a stop as he put his hands to his mouth. Mikey put his hand on Gerard's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Gerard, I know I'm quiet and small and not very outgoing. I'm not like you. But I could see past all of that. You were hurting and, even though none of this is my business, I knew you had to let it out. I'm sorry I made you say it out loud, but it was for you," Mikey said. Gerard looked at him shocked.

"Mikey, you... That was the most I've heard you say, ever!" Gerard laughed and eventually so did Mikey. Back in his mind, he was extremely grateful someone noticed. He glance at Mikey and he noticed how his face looked in the street light they were passing under. He suddenly saw him in a different way, but that thought quickly disappeared as the hospital came into his view. He was afraid to go in there and hesitated at the door, but he felt Mikey give his back a little push and went inside.

"Thanks, Mikey," Gerard said. Mikey gave him a smile and waved as he took a seat in the front waiting room. He was sincerely grateful for Mikey and he referred back to Brian's joking words. He really did look like him a lot under that streetlight. Maybe he was relative. After his dad left his mother, he went spreading his seeds all over California and so on, so maybe he really was related to him, but he'd find that out later.

He stared down at Frank's face and stroked his cheek, smiling down lovingly at him.

"I love you so fucking much. I met this kid at my job. I'm training him and he looks so damn adorable. Maybe he can meet you one day. I'm walking him home since it's so late, so I have to go, but I only have one shift tomorrow. I'll be here very early tomorrow and stay until I go to work. I love you, Frankie." Gerard leaned down and kissed his forehead and then his lips.


	4. Six Months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whenever Frank and Gerard confess

Gerard held Frank's warm hand. It was Winter already and 6 months passed since he went into the coma. Gerard worked three jobs and sold comics on the side, because the hospital bill was getting high, but there was no way in fucking hell that he was going to give up on Frank. No matter how high the bill got, Gerard refused to get him out of that hospital with the fear that he wouldn't be able to watch over him correctly. He stared over at Frank's face. His hair was a lot longer, reminding Gerard that he needed to get someone to cut it or Frank would be really mad at him for letting it grow past his shoulders. He ran his fingers through Frank's hair and smiled softly.

"Hey, Frankie. I was thinking... Do you remember when you started ignoring me?” Gerard chuckled to himself and stared out the window, watching the sun set as his mind took him to the past.

 

_Gerard waited for Frank at the school gates Monday morning. Frank hadn’t texted him in a couple of days and Gerard was worried that maybe something had happened to him. He went into Starbucks, and ordered their coffee._

_“Where’s Frank?” their favorite barista, Jonny, asked. Gerard shrugged his shoulders_

_“I wish I knew. He hasn’t talked to me in a couple of days, and that really worries me to death. I really hope he’s all right…” he trails off._

_“Hey, isn’t that Frank right there?” Jonny said as he pointed behind him and out the window. Gerard turned around quickly and noticed Frank walking passed the school gates. Gerard watched as he stopped walking and looked back at Starbucks. He looked right into his eyes and the pain reflected from his own. He knew that Frank couldn’t see him with the tint from the windows and it helped him breathe a little better. Frank turned back around and Gerard watched him until he walked through the doors. That was something Gerard was always afraid of; Frank walking away from him in life and leaving him behind. It was one of his biggest fears. He couldn’t imagine his life without Frank, but knew, eventually, Frank was going to get married and have kids and grow old with his wife; all the while Gerard knew he could never love another person in his life._

_“Gerard, your coffees are ready!” Jonny said as he walked in front of him, breaking through his thoughts to hand him his coffee. Gerard thanked him and walked back to school. His class was right next to Frank’s so he figured he could just drop it off to him on his way to class. He felt nervous and he didn’t know why. Frank was his best friend, but he wasn’t stupid. He noticed the way he’d been acting around him lately. He wouldn’t make eye contact and Frank never wanted to be with him alone in his room anymore. He was growing bored of him… That, or he figured out Gerard was into guys._

_He walked in the school just as the bell for first period rang. He quickly walked into Frank’s class and noticed him sitting with his head down. He set his coffee down in front of Frank and gave him a kiss on his forehead. Frank’s head shot up and he stared at Gerard, who only smiled sadly in response. He turned away and walked into his own class._

_The next week went on the same. He tried talking, texting, and calling him, but he didn’t answer to anything. It eventually angered Gerard to the point of him wanting to hate Frank, but he just couldn’t. But finally, the next Monday came._

_Gerard received a text from Frank telling him to meet him at their Starbucks across the street. He entered the shop and ordered his same black coffee and Frank his, quote, "sweet caramel and a fuckload of whipped cream." The barista seemed to understand what he meant since they were there a lot and made it exactly how Frank took it since he was pretty anal about it. He sat at their normal table and waited for him and their order, which didn't take as long as he thought it would._

_"Thanks, man. Missed you guys," Gerard said. The young man nodded._

_"Yeah, we thought you guys were cheating on us with another shop or something." They laughed and, at that moment, Frank walked in looking more nervous than Gerard had ever seen him. Gerard straightened up and waved him over. Frank sat at the table and happily drank his coffee. The young barista took his leave, sensing something personal was about to happen._

_"I want to talk to you," Frank said._

_"Yeah, same here. You've been avoiding me. You won't answer my texts or calls and, like, that's not cool, Frank. I miss you," he responded. Frank looked at Gerard's hand which was resting on the table next to his coffee. He then did something that surprised them both: Frank grabbed his hand and held it tightly. Gerard made no move, which was very hard, but instead waited to see what Frank was going to do next._

_"Listen to me, Gerard. I'm in love with you. I could go into this big speech of why and how, but I want skip past that and be truthful and straightforward with you. I am completely in love with you. It scared me, and it may scare you, but I've accepted it. I understand if you can't be friends with me anymore, but, please, don't drag me along and fuck with my head," Frank told him. Gerard squeezed his hand back and smiled at him._

_"I was expecting you to pull your hand away or punch me or some shit, but not actually... you know."_

_"I'm not into that cliche bullshit. I'm in love you, too, Frank. I'll be damned if I fuck it up, because I was in shock and you took it wrong," Gerard confessed. Frank smiled up and him, nearly on the verge of tears._

_"Does this mean we're dating?" Frank asked._

_"Will you date me, Frank?" Gerard asked._

_"Fuck yes," Frank answered and they held their hands tighter._

"You said fuck yes and I thought it was greatest thing ever. Every time you've said that since then, I smiled because it shows love," Gerard sighed happily and looked at his watch.

"Okay, babe, I've gotta head off to work. Working a double today, and Mikey is still lost without me. I'll be back after my shift. I can't wait, Frankie, until you wake up so you can hug me back when I hug you or kiss me back when I kiss you..." Gerard's voice began breaking and he stopped talking and settled on kissing his fiancé on the forehead, then the nose, then the lips, and then finally the chin. He walked to the door and looked back at Frank until he fully closed the door.

"Wake up soon," he whispered to himself before walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback? <3


	5. One Year

Gerard sits by Frank's bedside in his pajamas, relaxed with his feet up on another chair. There he was, holding Frank's hand while watching the Price is Right on the television too high to change the channel, making him wonder why they didn't leave a remote. He was almost thankful that Frank couldn't see him in that embarrassing moment which consisted of him jumping up and down for two minutes before finally dragging a chair, getting on top of it, and still having to use a pencil to strategically press the power button. It’s been an entire year since Frank’s been asleep. Gerard is still working the same two jobs, only really caring about one because Mikey was there. They offered him a manager position which pays so much more than his regular position, and he was going to take it. Everyone was really surprised he advanced to the position of manager within the year he’d been working there, but the managers said the answer was obvious. Gerard sacrificed for the other workers and even his precious time with Frankie. Every shift that was dropped, whether it were the position of a food or drink runner or server, he would take it. He’d even worked both at the same time. On top of that, he received nothing but compliments from co-workers, managers, and even customers. Since he was so friendly, no one could hate him, and he loved that. Back in high school, it was so different. No one could love him, until Frank came along. And that was all he needed.

Gerard stared at Frank’s face, taking in all the detail. From the way his forehead was flatter than round to the curved arch of his eyebrows. From the point of his slight button nose to his thin, pink lips. This was the man he was in love with. Though, in all honesty, Gerard would love him even if he was bald, had no teeth, and was a psychopath. It was his personality and giving nature that made Gerard love him so much. He just knew it was a slight bonus that he was sexiest man ever to exist since like ever. Gerard giggled at his own staement, blushing slightly. He tune of a new episode of the Price is Right snapped Gerard out of his schoolgirl trance. He sighed in frustration and glared at the television.

"This show is so fucking boring. In fact, I may leave it on so you'll get so annoyed that you'll wake up and turn it off yourself," he laughed. He squeezed Frank's hand tighter, bringing it up to his face, and kissing each knuckle.

"I'm glad that I'm off today, you know. I get to sit here with you and reminisce about things like our first date to that pet shop. That was when we bought a puppy together!" He said excitedly. "I really miss that dog..." he said as he looked down at Frank's face, smiling fondly.

_"Baby, where are we going?" Frank asked Gerard. He only smiled at him in response._

_"C'mon, tell me!" He tried to pursuade Gerard by running his hand down his leg slowly._

_"Frank, you know how our Starbucks friends feel about that," Gerard chuckled, gesturing toward their favorite barista and then were taken back by the blush on a young worker they'd never seen before._

_"Who's that?" Gerard asked Frank._

_"I think she's new," he replied._

_"Well, they better teach her what we order and how we order or you'll freak out and throw your coffee back at her," Gerard laughed making Frank pout._

_"Well, you ready to go, Frankie?" He asked him._

_"But where are we going?!" He said as he followed Gerard out the door._

_"That's a surprise!" He told Frank._

_They walked out onto the sidewalk and continued through downtown until Gerard suddenly stopped, causing Frank to run into him._

_"What's wrong, Gee Bear?" Frank asked him._

_"We're here, darling," he answered affectionately. Frank looked in the direction Gerard was and read the name of the shop out loud._

_"Pet Shop?" He question. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly._

_"Really? We're getting a puppy? You mean it?" He asked. Gerard chuckled at his boyfriend's childishness and grabbed his hand, leading him into the shop. Frank had been talking about getting a dog and taking turns taking care of it since they were still in high school. They were seniors now and thinking about their future together; they both knew they didn't want to go to college, and so Frank settled on a job and then playing in a band as soon as he finds one. Gerard settled on a job as well, but would draw his own comic books and sell them on the side._

_"So I see the puppy you've been eyeing for the past few weeks, and I thought you'd might like to get him. But it's a lot of responsibility, so can you handle it?" He asked Frank. Frank quickly nodded his head, making a beeline for the puppy he knew he wanted._

_"Okay, then let's get him. Excuse me!" Gerard called over the closest employee. "We'll take this adorable cutie." He took Frank's hand in his own and smiled at the employee._

_"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm going to have to ask you and... your partner to leave. We don't take kindly to your… lifestyle choice," the young lady said. Gerard's nostrils flared in anger and Frank hid slightly behind Gerard knowing there was no stopping him._

_"I feel terribly sorry for you. You'll never no real love being as shallow as you are," he laughed bitterly. "Tell your parents they did a horrible job in bringing you up, because shit like that is learned." Finally, Frank decided to interject and place his hands on Gerard's shoulder, which made him relax._

_"It's okay, baby. Let's just go somewhere else," he spoke into his ear. Gerard looked at him and shook his head._

_"No, Frankie. I can't allow someone to treat you that way, not while I'm here. I'll be damned if I let this little girl get away with this. I'm going to talk to the manager," he said as he stalked off to the front desk. Frank looked at the girl and gave her an apologetic look._

_"Well, you shouldn't have said anything. Your fault~!" He sang to her and then giggled as he skipped off to follow Gerard. After a long and heated discussion, the girl ended up getting fired and Gerard looked super happy as he watched the girl give him a dirty look and gave her the finger in response. Frank laughed at Gerard and then they ended up buying the puppy and getting a free big bag of puppy chow, a pretty collar, two beds, a few toys and an expensive brand of treats. They tried to tell the manager that it wasn’t all necessary, but she insisted._

_"Here you guys are, and I'm still very sorry. I hope you'll continue shopping here!" The manager beamed at them. They smiled and nodded their heads as they took their leave. Gerard watched as Frank cuddled and cooed at the puppy._

_“Have you decided a name yet, sweetheart?” Gerard asked as he tucked Frank’s slightly long hair behind his ear. Frank looked at him with a huge smile and nodded eagerly._

_“I’m thinking about naming him Morrissey!” Gerard smiled at how happy Frank was._

_“Sounds good, baby,” and then he gave Frank’s cheek a little kiss, which Frank returned with a real kiss._

_“I love you, Gerard. So fucking much I just wanna smack you.” Gerard laughed loudly, throwing his head back then wrapped an arm around Frank’s waist, pulling him closer. They walked like that until they reached Gerard’s home with big smiles on their faces, because a lot of people on the streets, aww’d at them and the puppy, which made them very happy. They went up to his room after greeting his mother, showing her the puppy, listening to her big speech on responsibility, and then they were able to go up and set up his bed and toys. The played with the puppy until nearly midnight, when the puppy finally fell asleep and so they lay on Gerard’s bed and cuddled. Frank had his head on Gerard’s chest and one leg draped over his, Gerard’s arm was wrapped around Frank’s shoulders and the other on his waist. They were in a heated kiss at the moment which was growing hotter and beautiful by the second._

_Frank’s hand trailed down Gerard’s chest, past his stomach and stopped at the large bulge in his pants. Gerard groaned into their kiss as Frank softly rubbed it, painfully teasing him. Gerard broke their kiss and stared into Frank’s eyes, a blush evident on his cheeks._

_“I want you, Frank. So fucking much I can’t stand it,” he whispered to him. It sent shivers down Frank’s body making his member twitch with excitement._

_“I want you, too, baby, but we can’t…” He said. Gerard nodded in understanding. It wasn’t that Frank didn’t want to make love to Gerard; it was Gerard who wanted to wait. The furthest they’d gone over the past two years they’d been together, was palming each other through their pants. Frank was more than happy to wait for his boyfriend. After all, they had all the time in the world to make love; there were no rushes. Gerard smiled at his words, grateful that he’d been the one to stop him, before he upset himself with making love to Frank. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, he was just weird about the huge sexual tension between them. He wanted it to build up until they possibly couldn’t hold it in anymore and then have the most amazing first time ever._

_They both looked over at their sleeping puppy and aww’d at his snoring. They cuddled up the rest of the night, smiling and content._

Gerard held Frank’s hand tightly, a sad smile plastered on his face. Frank looked lifeless, even if he were just asleep, he wanted him to wake up. He laid his head his head on the bed and continued watching whatever was on the television.

“G-Gerard?” He heard a voice speak. Frank’s hand suddenly squeezed back. Gerard quickly looked back at Frank. He was opening his eyes and Gerard was overwhelmed by the feeling of happiness. He got out of his seat and held him.

“Frank! Baby! Thank God!” Frank stayed silent.

“Gerard, I want you to kiss me,” he spoke huskily.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Ray standing over him with a concerned look on his face. He looked back and saw that he was holding Frank, who was still asleep, and started sobbing to his heart content. He held Frank tightly and Ray kept his hand on his shoulder, gripping it comfortably.

“It’s not fair, Ray! Why does that son of a bitch get to be up and well?! Why do _I_ get to be up and well?! It’s all my fault, Ray! I should’ve paid better attention to the road rather than thinking about how fucking happy I was! Goddamn it!” Gerard yelled. He cried so much he felt like throwing up; Frank’s hospital gown was drenched in tears and he still wouldn’t move no matter how much Gerard shook him or called out his name or begged him to wake up. It was a nightmare he had to live for God knows how long. But he loved Frank. He would never give up on him, because Frank was the love of his life, right?

Gerard pulled out his phone and dialed Mikey’s number.

“ _Hello?_ ”

“Mikey, I need you,” he spoke, his voice nasally from the crying.

“ _Hospital?_ ” Mikey asked.

“Yeah. Third floor, room 345. Hurry,” he voice broke and he hung up the phone, tossing it on Frank’s hospital bed. Ray stayed with Gerard until Mikey showed up 10 minutes later.

“Gerard?” He called out. Gerard looked up and towards the door as did Ray. Mikey rushed to him and put his hand on the back of his head, petting him. He leaned into Mikey’s touch.

“Gerard, who is this?” Ray asked him. He and Mikey both looked at him at the same time and then his eyes went wide. “Holy shit, you guys look alike! Is this your brother, Gee?” He asked him. They both smiled at the familiar comment and Gerard shook his head.

“The resemblance is too uncanny! How about we do a blood test?” Ray recommended. Gerard shivered.

“Stay the fuck away from me with needles, Ray.”

“Then how about a test from your saliva?” They both thought about it. There was no harm in doing it.

“How much is it?”

“Nah, it’s free.”

“All right, then. Let’s do it…” Gerard set Frank down on the bed, covering him with his blanket again, and he stared at him for a while. Mikey stood next to him and looked at Frank as well.

“This is your fiancé? This is Frank?” He asked. Gerard nodded.

“He’s perfect for you, Gerard.”

“Yes. He is…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback? :))


	6. The Next Days After

Gerard and Mikey followed Ray into another checkup room.

“All right, I’m going to go get the swabs, just wait here,” he said as he walked back out the door. They quickly turned to each other and observed one another.

“I guess there is a bit of a resemblance?” Mikey question. Gerard gave a slight nod.

“So what happened today, Gee?” He asked him as he grabbed his hand. Gerard squeezed in return.

“I thought I heard him say my name, Mikey. I really thought he was waking up, but my mind tricked me. I wanted it to happen so badly that I imagined it. What if- what if he never wakes up?” Gerard confessed. With Mikey, he didn’t have to hold back on what he said, because Mikey understood him.

“You’d still have me, okay? I’ll make sure you’re never lonely,” he tells him in response. Mikey would never tell Gerard, but he seemed to find himself oddly attracted to him. Maybe not him specifically, but more what he was doing for Frank. It was romantic and he was a hopeless romantic. He admired the way he went back and forth from each job and still found time to visit Frank. It probably cut into his sleep schedule, but he knew Gerard could care less. He would certainly do anything to keep his fiancé happy, even if he wasn’t awake.

“Thanks,” he whispered hoarsely. Ray came back in and glanced at their hands intertwined before looking at them both.

“Are you guys a thing?” He blurted out. “Sorry. That’s none of my business. I’m just a curious individual.” Gerard laughed, causing Ray to lighten up.

“We aren’t, dude. We’re just really close friends,” he said as he glanced at Mikey and smile softly. Mikey felt a slight pang in his chest at his words but ignored it and returned the smile.

Ray started putting his gloves on, making that creepy, stretchy sound just to freak out Gerard.

“Ew, stop it, Ray!” Gerard said as he cringed.

“What ever do you mean, Gerard? I’m just putting on my gloves,” he responded innocently. Mikey laughed which cause Ray to break his straight face and chuckle alongside him.

“All right! Enough horseplay, men! Open your mouth so I may deliver these swabs and retreat with a sample of your saliva,” Ray announced as if he were a warrior.

“Are you a doctor or a ten year old?” Gerard asked him as he tried holding in a laugh.

“I don’t see why I can’t be a ten year old doctor,” he defended. They all laughed before Mikey and Gerard got serious and opened their mouths for Ray to take a swab.

“All right, the result should be in by tomorrow.” They nodded in response just as Ray’s pager went off and he rushed out of the room yelling a ‘see you’.

“I would hate to be a doctor,” Mikey told Gerard on their walk back to Frank’s room. Gerard nodded in response as he feels the same.

“Imagine the crushing feeling of not being able to save someone despite trying your best…” Gerard thought about Mikey’s words and felt a shiver run through his body. He thought back to the time Ray asked him out for a drink late at night, waking him up from one of the rare times he was able to sleep peaceably. He agreed because he’d never heard Ray’s voice sound that monotonous, and he was worried. That whole night, he watched as Ray down drink after drink after drink, barely speaking any words to him.

“I killed someone today, Gerard. A little girl. She was 10 and I took away her life at such a young age,” was the first words he’d spoken to him that night. Gerard quietly waited for him to explain.

“She was caught in the crossfire of a shootout in a bad neighborhood. She died here without her parents because they were working, they told me. I should’ve been able to save her, but I just couldn’t. Her BP kept dropping, and there wasn’t anything I could do to raise it up and keep it balanced. I should’ve been able to do that, Gerard. I went to many, many years of school learning this shit. I should be able to save everyone who comes to me for help,” he explained. Gerard gave him a soft look and set his hand down on Ray’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“You can’t save everyone, Ray. Sure, you’re a doctor, but you aren’t able to preform magic. Understand that there will be times where people aren’t meant to be saved. Don’t do this to yourself. You’re a great doctor despite what you believe or what just happened.” Gerard soothed. Ray look him in the eyes and Gerard gasped because there was absolutely no light in his eyes. Gerard hugged Ray and held him.

“Gerard, would you still think so if Frank never woke up?” He asked him. Gerard froze, and then slowly pulled away, looking at him.

“Frank will wake up whenever he’s ready, you know this. As a doctor, you know that he’ll wake up on his own time. If he never does, I would have no reason to blame you. You’re a great doctor, Ray. Really. You’ve stuck by me and Frank’s side and took the time to get to know me enough that you also know my fiancé. Not many doctors will do that. Yes, what happened today was a very sad thing, but I know you tried your best,” he told him. Ray smiled a little and then finished his last beer for that night. Gerard drove him home and made sure he was tucked in all nice before going to Ray’s living room, falling exhausted on the couch, and finally falling asleep.

Mikey and Gerard walked back into Frank’s room and sat down. They continued talking for the rest of the night as Gerard held Frank’s hand, a little looser than before. Gerard loved Mikey’s company and it was safe to say that Mikey felt the same way. As night approached, Mikey asked Gerard for a ride home because he was actually afraid of walking alone at night. Gerard kissed Frank on the forehead and then left with Mikey. Gerard didn’t notice the look of envy in Mikey’s eyes the entire time. Mikey scolded himself for have such feelings. Gerard was in love and it was too late for him to go anywhere with him, besides he only loved the romantic side of Gerard. Which, when he thought about it, was him all the time. Every breath he’d breathe was for the sake of Frank.

“Mikey? You getting in?” Mikey snapped out of his thoughts and laughed at himself, getting inside Gerard’s car. Gerard gave him a confused look as he started his car and they drove off.

“So, thanks for coming by today. I really appreciate it,” Gerard told him.

“Thanks for calling me. It makes me happy to know that you trust me enough with these things.”

“Well, you may be my brother, so why not?” They laughed at the absurd thought.

“Did you want to stay the night?” Gerard asked him. “It gets tiring being alone in that apartment.”

“Sure,” Mikey spoke without hesitation. Spending time with Gerard was his escape. His parents weren’t exactly the best and weren’t ever really around, so he was all alone. He knew other kids would kill for his life, but he would gladly switch them if it meant he had an actual family.

The rest of the night, they watched a bunch of movies, including the Wizard of Oz. Mikey laughed as he watched Gerard reenact the musical numbers. When they were getting sleepy, they fell asleep on Gerard’s bed, back to back.

The next morning, they attended work together at the theater. They had to deal with three sold out movies in their theater which happened to be the biggest one. Thankfully, they were both good at talking with their customers and they received big tips. When Gerard was able to take a break, he checked his phone and saw that he had a missed call from Ray and a voicemail.

“Probably the results,” he mumbled to himself as he called his voicemail. He waited until the phone was done reading the number.

“ _Holy shit, Gee! The results came back a 100% match! He’s your brother! Oh, my God! Call me back when you have time, I’m, like, freaking out!- Oh, yes, miss, um, I was just getting those results from my office right now. I’ll be right back. Yes. Anyways, Gee! Jeez! This is so crazy! All right, now I’m rambling! Love you, byyyyeeee!_ ”

Then the voicemail ended.

Ray must’ve had a bunch of caffeine this morning if he were talking like _that_. He shut his phone and started running back to the theater Mikey was in.

Mikey was his brother!

“Mikey! Mikey!” He yelled as he ran into the theater. Mikey was currently folding napkins before, turning to Gerard who slammed him into a hug bear hug.

“What is it?” Mikey said as he chuckled at how childish Gerard was being.

“Results came back! We’re brothers! I love you so fucking much, Mikey!” Gerard yelled excitedly as he kissed Mikey’s cheek.

“Really? That’s awesome!” Mikey yelled happily. But Mikey would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little sad, but this was a good thing. Mikey wouldn’t grow anymore feelings for him now. Mikey shared in Gerard’s happiness as he talked about all the things he wanted to do with Mikey. Which included going to a zoo, taking him to school, going to parks, picking him up from school, meeting his parents, discussing this with their parents, amusements parks, going to watch movies with him, and just being together all the time.

“Yeah, let’s do all that,” Mikey said. Gerard gave him the happiest smile he’d ever seen come from Gerard.

“Yes! Thanks, my adorable little brother!” A shot of pain went through Mikey’s heart, but he just smiled and hugged Gerard back when he’d hugged him.

 _This really hurts_ , he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback? :))


	7. Two Years

Gerard sat at Frank's bedside once again. He'd just gotten out of his double shift and he wanted to see his fiancé’s face before heading home to sleep. He had work early in the morning and it was already passed midnight, and he knew he couldn't stay too long without risking falling asleep at work.

"Hey, Frankie. I can only stay for a little bit. I'm sorry, but I only have one shift tomorrow so I'll be here tomorrow at six in the afternoon, okay?" He told his sleeping figure. He cupped Frank's face in his hands and kissed him deeply, allowing a tear to slip from his eye and land on Frank's cheek just as he pulled away. Gerard would never tell him, but he was certainly exhausted and was about ready to die. For two years, he'd been working two jobs and drawing comics nonstop, and there were even a bunch of drawing materials in Frank's hospital room so he could still work when he was visiting. When he finally got a break, he spent his time paying bills and Frankie's stay at the hospital. He saw as all the money he worked for in a long month, disappeared right in front of his eyes. His co-workers were concerned and voiced them, stating that he was getting way too skinny and looked paler and paler every time they saw him. Even though he was both physically and emotionally being teared apart, he would never let it show because he knew he had to be strong for whenever his fiancée woke up.

"Okay, I'll be leaving now, sweetheart," he said as he wiped his tear off of Frankie's cheek and straightening back up. "I love you, Frankie Baby." Then he walked out the door, looking at Frank until he fully closed the door and walked away. As Gerard was making his way home, his eyes grew heavier and heavier. He shook his head trying to keep himself awake, and he was eternally grateful when he finally managed to pull into the parking lot of the apartment he was renting with Frankie in the past. He shut off his car and walked up into his home, and quickly started undressing. He couldn't wait to take a shower after a long day of sweating constantly and running around everywhere. He groaned as he stepped under the hot water of the shower. It was then that his eyes started burning and his vision blurred.

“Oh, Frankie…” he gritted through his teeth. He hated him at the moment and wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face, but he wouldn’t because this was all his fault. Gerard blamed himself more and more with each passing month. He got out of the shower and quickly dried off so he could hop into bed and get ready to wake up in about four and a half hours. He really hoped Frank would wake up or he would go mad. He wanted to hear Frank’s laugh again. He wanted him to tell him that he loved him again, but God knows when that would be.

He sighed as he relaxed into his bed, and quickly drifted off to sleep. He awoke abruptly to his alarm blasting in his ears, and he wanted to scream as he slammed his hand down on the off button. He sat up, went to go take a piss, and got ready for work. He needed to prep at the restaurant he worked at and then go take care of a couple of movies with Mikey at the theater. He was already a manager, and apparently a damn good one at that. Everyone was comfortable with him and he did a bunch of work to help out with his employees. Mikey was still close with him and this seemed to anger the female population as they all began to have a type of thing for him. It was awkward, because he was gay like there was no fucking tomorrow, but he guessed that it didn’t seem obvious. It may have been wrong, but he really couldn’t wait to see the look on their faces when he brought Frankie to work with him when he woke up.

He walked into the restaurant and was greeted by the manager. He was loved in this workplace too and it made him happy. He didn’t hate his job here, it was just too slow for him compared to the theater where he was constantly moving. Gerard prep the cooks’ food and restocked everything in the front. He did the open duties which mainly consisted of cleaning the windows and doors and he occasionally took order from the counter or drive. He was fast and his manager loved that, but he had the theater to thank for that. It was noon by the time he was released and made his way over to the theater. The sun was extra hot today as it beamed down on his back on his way to work. His head felt fuzzy but he ignored it as he walked into the theater, cold air hitting him the face. He shivered even though he felt good. His looked over and saw Mikey waiting for him. I soon as he saw him, he ran towards Gerard with a smile on his face, but then his smile fell.

“What’s wrong?” Mikey asked. He was concerned of his older brother. Mikey still felt happy to call him his brother, but he set that thought aside as Gerard gave him a tired confused look.

“What are you talking about? I feel fi-“ then he suddenly collapsed. He fell onto his knees and Mikey caught the rest of him before he could hit his head. Shit! He thought.

“Brian!” He yelled. Brian came running out and saw what happened. He scolded Gerard in his mind, knowing that this was bound to happen. Working every day for two weeks straight before finally having a day off. He didn’t want to give him so many shifts, but Gerard insisted, saying that he needed to make sure Frank was able to stay under hospital care.

He ran over and picked up Gerard, running him into the office. Many people stood by and watched as he was hauled away. Everyone looked concerned. Brian and Mikey seemed to be really scared. They felt Gerard’s body and he felt like nothing but skin and bones. His eyes looked sunk in with dark circles around them. Even when he wasn’t awake, he still looked stressed out.

“Mikey, call an ambulance,” he told him softly. Mikey did as he was told and within 10 minutes, Gerard was taken into the same hospital as Frank. Ray met with Brian and Mikey since they came in the ambulance.

“I don’t know, Ray. He came in and he looked so pale and exhausted. He didn’t look like my brother, but it seemed like he didn’t even realize. He just fell. Is he going to be okay?” Mikey asked the doctor. He knew what Gerard was experiencing what just exhaustion, stress, and maybe even a broken heart.

“With a lot of rest, he should be fine. Brian, how long can he stay off from work? I’ve already alerted his other job, and they understood.”

“As long as it takes. Mikey, you’ll have to serve with another server,” Brian told him. Even though Mikey didn’t like that, he wasn’t going to complain. There was no way around it.

“What about his comic book? Those have deadlines,” Mikey said.

“He’s doing comics too?”

“That would explain the drawing equipment in Frank’s room,” Ray realized.

“He’s doing too much. How is Frankie doing?”

“Same as usual,” he said.

“Maybe if one of us talks to him to explain the situation, he’ll wake up so Gee won’t have to worry anymore,” Mikey suggested. They all knew it sounded childish, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. Mikey volunteered to do it since he was going to be Frank’s brother-in-law and he hadn’t even introduced himself. He went up to his hospital room and sat down in the chair next to bed. He felt awkward and fidgeted in his seat.

“U-um, hi, Frank. I’m Mikey. I’m Gerard’s brother. We found out about a year ago when Ray got curious,” Mikey laughed. “Listen, um, Gerard has really been working his ass off for you.” Mikey knew he was sounding bitter, but he didn’t care in that moment. This was his brother.

“He’s working a lot. You have absolutely no idea. He wants to make sure he can keep you in a place where you’ll be taken care of properly. This morning he came in, and he looked so horrible. He was really pale, he felt like nothing but bones, his eyes looked sunk in, and it was scary. He didn’t even seem to notice. He collapsed in the middle of his sentence and they’re checking up on him right now. Ray said it’s more than likely exhaustion and probably a broken heart. You’ve got to wake up, Frankie, before Gerard runs himself into the ground.” He sighed and stood, because he knew he wasn’t going to wake up. Mikey hated Frank for what he was doing for him, but he knew that he shouldn’t be. None of this was his fault so why did he want to punch Frank in the face right now? He walked out the door and was greeted with Ray and Brian. He really is Gerard’s little brother, they thought.

“Gerard is fine. He’s sleeping. He’ll probably sleep for a few days, but let’s hope he won’t go into a very deep sleep.” Mikey cringed at the thought of Gerard becoming like Frank, but dismissed the thought. Gerard would never leave him alone by himself. Especially since Mikey had moved in with him half a year ago. Gerard got full custody of Mikey after his parents disowned him. Mikey’s father was Gerard’s father, too, and they’d gotten into an argument that almost turned physical. A lot of confessions came out that day and, in the end, they’d told Mikey to get his shit and get out. He was more than happy to get out of their house thought, because they never paid him any attention. He and Gerard have done nothing but work together and whenever Gerard had to go to his other job, he would wait for him patiently. If he had to work on his comics, Gerard would still sit in the living room with him while he watched a movie or did whatever because he knew Mikey didn’t want to be alone. In the beginning, Mikey felt a little uncomfortable living with him, because day after day he was given reasons as to why Frankie fell in love with Gerard. After a while, he understood his feelings. It was just a sibling yearning misdiagnosed as love or a crush, and he soon came to grow comfortable with undressing in front of him to change and walking around shirtless or in his boxers and all that.

“Mikey?” Ray asked. Mikey’s eyes came back into focus as he looked at the doctor.

“What’s wrong? Gee will be fine, you know him. He’d never stop working for so long,” Brian reassured him.

“I’m going to go punch Frank in the face,” was all Mikey said before turning on his heel and marching back to Frank’s room. Ray and Brian pulled him back with much trouble and couldn’t believe that such a small boy could have that much strength, but it came from pure  
anger.

“I hate him so much! How could he do this to Gerard?!” He yelled out, causing a few passerby’s to stare, but they averted their eyes and continued on their way.

“You know it’s not his fault, Mikey,” Ray explained. “His body is healing itself. His mind is healing itself.” Mikey stopped struggling against them and settled on just ripping his arms out of their grip.

“I know. It’s been two years though! How could it take so long?!”

“His head received a lot of damage during the crash. It’s normal. If he wakes up in the next three years, I’d be surprised,” Ray responded.

“Gerard wouldn’t survive that long, and you guys know that…” Mikey muttered loud enough for them to hear. “He would die for Frank, and that scares me because he literally might die doing all of this for him.” No one responded because they knew he was right.

Brian thought back to the time Gerard first came in for an interview, and he looked so confident about getting the job. Brian had come up to him and introduced himself and asked him how he could help him and he responded with “I’m here to help you,” and shook his hand firmly. Brian knew he’d gotten the job right then and there but he still decided to ask him random questions and asked him why he wanted this job. He responded with “My fiancé and I got into a horrible accident a couple of months back and he is currently in a coma, so I wanted to find a job near the hospital. But I am also a big movie enthusiast.”

“He?” Brian asked him. After that came out of his mouth, he realized that he sounded very homophobic in the way he said it. Gerard’s eyes turned into little slits and Brian realized even more that he fucked up.

“Yes. Is there a problem with that?” He asked through gritted teeth.

“Oh, no no,” Brian laughed, “it’s perfectly fine. I have a boyfriend at the moment, myself.” This seemed to make Gerard lighten up.

“That’s awesome! So when do I start?” He asked him.

“How are you so sure that you got the job?” Brian asked.

“I got the job the moment I shook your hand,” Gerard answered. Brian smirked. He liked this kid.

“How soon can you start?” He asked.

“Today.”

“Tomorrow would be better. Nice to have you on. We’ll send you your schedule later today via e-mail. You’ll start as a runner which consists of making the drinks and running them or waiting for the food to come out and running that out. You’ll learn more tomorrow.”

“I also have another job, will you be able to work around that?”

“Yes, of course. A lot of employees have another job or go to school as well, so we’re very flexible. We have a lot of employees. You can be working here a month and still be meeting new people.” After talking for a little more, they shook hands as Gerard got a phone call from the hospital and look panicked.

“Thanks, man. I’ll be looking out for an e-mail. I gotta get going! Yeah, Ray, I’m on my way. I’m only down the road!” Brian watched in horror as he ran faster than he’d ever seen anyone run out the door. He worried the rest of the day and even thought about calling his cell number but decided not to seeing as it wasn’t his business.

Mikey let out a deep breath and looked at Ray. “I want to go see Gerard. I promise I won’t make a single noise to disturb him,” he pleaded.

“Like I’m going to keep you away from him. Follow me,” he said as he led Brian and Mikey into another wing away from Frank’s room. As they approached his room, Mikey felt a rush of anxiety sneaking up on him. He felt the middle of his face going numb and he started to panic.

“R-Ray, I feel funny,” his voice quivered out. They all stopped walking and faced him. His breathing came out heavy and his head felt fuzzy. This caused him to panic more and his eyes started tearing up. He was scared and Ray was talking to him calmly.

“Count to three repeatedly, slowly, in your head and take slow and deep breaths. Think of nothing but the numbers 1, 2, and 3.” His voiced calmed Mikey down, and he managed to calm down.

1…

_Breathe_

2…

_Breathe_

3…

_Breathe_

He still felt lightheaded so he had to hold onto Brian.

“Are you okay now, Mikey?” Ray asked him. He nodded, still not trusting his voice. Brian held onto him on the rest of their trip to Gerard’s room despite Mikey saying he was fine.

“Here we are. I have to make my rounds so feel free to stay as long as you’d both like,” Ray said as he waved and then walked away. Brian then turned to Mikey and gave him a bit of a sad smile.

“I’ve got to head off as well. The employees are probably wondering if he’s doing well. Go ahead and take the rest of the day, I’ll find a couple of more servers. But only today, kiddo! You know Gee would feel horrible if you missed because of him,” he chuckled as he patted Mikey on the shoulder and then took his leave. Mikey took a deep breath as he opened the door to Gerard’s room. He kept his eyes away from him as he closed the door behind him and walked over to his bedside staring at his feet. The only thing he could hear was the steady breathing of his older brother. He finally moved his eyes up to look at his sleeping body. He heart dropped at the sight of how weak he looked, and it wasted no time in grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. Frank looked healthier than him and he was trying to figure out how that could be. Frank at least had some color to his cheeks and sincerely looked like he was sleeping while Gerard looked pale and lifeless as if he were already dead.

“I’ll take care of you, Gerard.” Gerard stirred in his sleep and it gave Mikey reassurance that he wasn’t like Frank.

“Frankie…” Mikey watched as Gerard’s eyebrows knitted together in concern, causing him to scoff. Even in his dreams, he was still worried about him. He continued to hold Gerard’s hand as he laid his head down on the bed and stared at him before finally drifting off to sleep himself.

_Sleep was a scary thing_ , he concluded. _You never know if you’re going to wake up._


	8. Three Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, there's quite a bit of Waycest vibes in this chapter here.   
> If you're uncomfortable with that, just skip this chapter. It's important, but not that important.  
> Thanks for reading! :))

Frank’s parents stood by his bedside while Gerard watched them quietly. On the outside, he looked quite calm, but Mikey, standing in the far corner of the room, knew better. Gerard was on the verge of breaking down. Although they spoke no words, the silent message hung in the air.

“Gerard, we’re not going to ask you again,” Frank’s father spoke.

“Good. My answer is still no, so you can kindly take your leave. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” he practically growled at them. Mikey winced. He knew Gerard loved them, but they were being a bit unfair in his mind. This was their son.

“It’s been three years! Do you honestly think he’ll still wake up?” His mother yelled. Her voice was broken from the sobs threatening to let loose at my moment. Gerard stood from his chair at Frank’s bedside abruptly.

“So what if it’s been three years! You’re his parents, so aren’t you both supposed to have the same thoughts as I do?! I will not allow you to take off his respirator!” Mikey was confused at his statement. _Take off… his- Oh, my God!_ Mikey’s eyes widened in realization. _But Frank can’t breathe on his own still!_

“What do you suggest we do then?!” His father yelled.

“How about having faith in your son? How about starting there?! You’ve only been to visit him _twice_ since he’s been asleep while I’ve been here every single day and night to make sure he isn’t alone despite working my ass off to keep him in here where he can be cared for properly. I don’t see either of you helping me. You have no right to try and force me to take away his only source of life!” Gerard roared back. Mikey was terrified. He’d never seen Gerard look like that. He opened the door and uncharacteristically opened his mouth wide as he took a deep breath.

“Security!!” He yelled down the hall. Within a moment, male nurses and a couple of security guards came running towards the room. Mikey fully opened the door as he frantically explained everything to them.

“This couple is trying to harm my brother’s fiancé, please get them out of here!” They all grabbed the parents and struggled to get them out of the room. Mikey looked over at Gerard, who was glaring at the parents so hard, he shivered in fear for them. He slowly walked up to Gerard as the guards finally managed to get Frank’s parents away from them.

“G-Gerard?” Mikey hesitated as he slowly put his hand on his shoulder. Gerard sighed loudly and fell down back into his chair. Mikey kneeled in front of him as Gerard leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.

“Thank you, Mikey. God knows what would’ve happened had they stayed here any longer…” Gerard mumbled. Mikey smiled softly and put his hand on his brother’s head petting his hair slowly, a habit that had come the main source of Gerard’s comfort.

“Mikey, if they come back again, I don’t think I’d be able to stop them. I’m not married to Frank legally yet, so I don’t think I have a say. If anything, I think they can be the ones to ban me from seeing him…” Gerard voice sounded empty of any life and it broke Mikey’s heart. He leaned forward and kisses Gerard’s head.

“Things will go as they will, Gee. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to eventually. You know Frank better than anyone,” he tried to reassure him. Gerard looked up at his brother and never let his eyes look away from his.

“I’m _exhausted_. I feel like I want it all to stop. The Frank on that bed right there, is not the one I’m in love with,” he whispered. Mikey gasped slightly.

“Gee, you don’t mean that. You’re just frustrated.” Mikey wanted to slap Gerard for being unreasonable, but he knew he had no right, because he didn’t know what his brother felt like. He didn’t know what it felt like to live with the guilt of being the reason the person he loved was in a coma. He didn’t know what it felt like to wake up earlier than the sun to work all day and push back the times he slept or ate dinner just to see that person. He didn’t know what it was like to love someone who wasn’t able to live in the moment.

“Come on. Let’s go home, Gee. You can sleep on all of this and come back tomorrow,” Mikey said as he stood and helped Gerard up. He held his hand as he walked him out of the room, but not before kissing Frank on the forehead. Mikey took that as a good sign, knowing of their silent gesture. As they made their way home, Mikey driving them, Gerard stared out the window. He watched as the lights to all the buildings passed them in a flash. He wondered if this was what Frank felt like knowing that life was passing him by just this quickly. He, himself, didn’t know how much more he could take. He could admit that he deserved all of it, but he knew everyone had a breaking point and his was near. He didn’t know how near though. Maybe as quickly as tomorrow, maybe a few weeks, months… Maybe, if he were lucky, a couple of more years. Imagining his life without Frank was becoming easier, and he knew that sounded bad. He could just see himself working this hard to pay for Frank’s hospital stay for the rest of his life. He couldn’t see Frank waking up anymore. The hope he would have only to be smashed back during the first few months at seeing that his fiancé wasn’t waking up died down to just another day. He would get up, work, go see Frank, go to his other shift, and see Frank again at the end of the night before going home to sleep and then repeating the same routine for three years was unbearable. He loved Frank, but it hurt more and more when he realized that Frank wasn’t living his life and being who he wanted to be. He wanted to be in a band and make a change in the world through that and he wasn’t able to. Time was passing him by.

“Gerard? We’re home.” Gerard snapped out of his thoughts at his brother’s voice and got out the car himself just as Mikey locked it from the key control thing. They walked inside their apartment and sat down on the couch together. Gerard balled up into Mikey’s side and clung to him. He relaxed more when Mikey wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly.

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” Mikey told him. He knew it was true, because he trusted Mikey and knew he would never leave him.

“I love you, Mikey.”

“I love you, too.”

“No. I really, really love you.” Mikey stared at his brother before Gerard leaned up and kissed Mikey so hard, his breath was taken away. He pulled away.

“Gerard, stop. You don’t know what you’re doing,” he tried to reason. Gerard pushed him all the way down on the couch and climbed on top of him, kissing his neck. Mikey shivered.

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” Gerard said in between kisses. Mikey once again pushed Gerard to arm’s length and stared hard into his eyes.

“Gee, what _are_ you doing?” Gerard looked at him with a glazed over look in his eyes. They stayed staring at each other until Gerard hunched over and clung to Mikey’s shirt as he let out loud sobs. Mikey wrapped his arms around his brother and held him tightly. He knew it was horribly wrong, but he loved that Gerard kissed him. Deep down, he knew he’d always harbor such feelings for his older sibling, but he came to accept that Frank was the only one for him. Despite Gerard telling him that he was about ready to give up, he knew he’d never just leave his fiancé like that. He’d always stay by his side no matter how painful it was for him. That was the kind of person Gerard was; hardworking, dedicated, and, above all, motivated. He was that one working who would do everything even when he wasn’t asked, he was the kind to rush and run around every shift and not give himself a break, because he believed he hadn’t worked hard enough to deserve it. Mikey thought Gerard was a beautiful person, and not just because of his looks. He believed he was beautiful because his love knew no ends when it came to his family.

“I’m so, so, _so_ sorry, Mikey! I don’t know what I was doing,” he sobbed louder. Mikey tightened his hold on him, giving his head a kiss and he hummed softly to calm Gerard down. Eventually, his sobs turned to hiccuping, which in turn turned into sniffles and heavy breathing. Mikey lifted Gerard’s face and smiled at him.

“Why don’t we get you to bed? We’re doing a few movies tomorrow, remember? Why don’t you sleep in and just visit Frank after your other shift?” He asked him.

“But-“

“Gee, I think you could use the sleep. No offense, but you look like shit. Besides, you’ll still see him, won’t you?” He saw as Gerard bit his lip in concentration.

“I suppose you’re right. Come sleep in the bed with me,” he said as he got up from Mikey. The younger brother grimaced at the loss of warmth, and quickly got up.

“Race you!” Gerard said as he took off towards the room. As if instinct, Mikey grabbed his shoulder and pulled back, unbalancing Gerard long enough to run past him. Gerard dramatically threw himself at Mikey, going “boneless” and laughed as Mikey struggled to hold him up. While he was resting for a few seconds, Gerard took that opportunity to jump on the bed.

“No fair!” Mikey yelled childishly.

“Yeah, but you still love me,” Gerard told him as he stuck his tongue out. It was moments like this that he lived for now. When he and Mikey could go to the comfort of their home and talk and play and just… be _happy_. Happiness. That was a feeling he only felt with his brother now. He still loved Frankie to death, but being in his hospital room and holding his seemingly lifeless hand took its toll on him. He was finally starting to become impatient. He wanted his fiancé to wake up now, but he just wouldn’t.

“Gerard?” Mikey asked him. He turned as saw that Mikey was already undressing for bed and the lights were off aside from the nightlight in the corner of the wall that his younger brother insisted he keep on when he was in the room with him. Gerard undressed with him and they both crawled into bed. With Mikey’s back facing him, he wrapped his arm around his waist and tucked his other hand under his pillow. They slept like this every time they slept in the same bed, because Mikey knew it gave Gerard comfort. He let his brother pretend he was his fiancé. Although he knew it was probably bad, he took delight in being like this, so he turned around and snuggled into Gerard chest.

“Night,” Gerard yawned, tightening his grip around Mikey before finally falling asleep. Mikey watched is brother sleep for what seemed like hours before finally falling asleep himself. Gerard’s alarm woke him up abruptly and he jolted up. He looked around and saw that it was still dark out. He looked over to the clock and read it to himself.

“4:30? What the fuck, Gerard?” He sighed and hit the off button before snuggling up next to Gerard and falling asleep again. Five minutes later, Mikey opened his eyes and pouted. He couldn’t get back to sleep! He huffed out air and then got up to take a hot bath, hoping that’ll help him. As he set the water to as hot as it could get, he slipped off his boxers and stepped into the tub, shivering as the hot water came into contact with his skin. He quickly sat himself down and then shook until he got used to the burning feeling. He sighed deeply as leaned back against the water and looked at every detail in the home. For being so busy, Gerard managed to keep everything clean, he thought. He then noticed a small cabinet behind the toilet and moved towards it before stopping himself. _Should I really look? What if Gee has something important there?_ He asked himself. But his curiosity got the best of him.

“Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back,” he assured himself as he reached behind the toilet and, as quietly as he could, dragged the cabinet to him. He stared at it for a while, observing it. It looked almost hand carved. It was beautifully done, but there were still very small mistakes which made Mikey think that maybe Gerard did this himself. He slowly pulled on the charm dangling down, acting as the handle. He observed the charm and saw it was two men embracing each other in the shape of a heart with their lower bodies pressed together along with their foreheads. He was in awe at the detail put in. He opened the door of it and a bunch of pictures came out, spilling around the side of the toilet. Mikey quickly picked them up after drying his hands of the water. He looked at them closely.

“This is Frank and Gee…” He said to himself. It was memories. Some were taken at what looked like to be a Starbucks, some more at a school, one to a pet shop, some were in rooms while others were outside. Playgrounds, restaurants, movie theaters, and their home. The one Mikey was in now. Mikey clenched his jaw and quickly shoved the pictures back in. He couldn’t stand to see the smile Gerard was making in these photos. The smiles he smiled now were nothing compared to the ones in the pictured and he felt himself grow angry. He stood from the bath and, got out of the tub, and then walked into the bedroom naked and dripping wet. He stared at Gerard’s sleeping figure. The blankets were only covering the bottom half of his body and Mikey thought he looked beautiful to him.

_‘What am I doing…?’_ He thought to himself. He turned to walk back into the bathroom, but the pictures flashed through his mind again and be walked over to Gerard’s lying figure and climbed on he bed, straddling him. He leaned down, with his hands running over his older brother’s chest, and looked at his face closely. His face still had the look of concern etched on his face, something that was now permanent. It was a look Mikey hated Gerard having, but it’ll never go away. Probably not until Frank woke up, _if_ he did. Staring off into his face, Mikey became surprised when Gerard’s eyes whipped open and he stared with eyes full of concern.

“Mikey, what’s-?” He began asking, but then he looked down and noticed his bare state, and then looked back to his face. “What are you doing?” He asked his younger brother. Mikey continued to stare at him, and they stayed like that until Mikey’s tears began falling on Gerard’s chest. Being cautious, Gerard slowly put his hands on Mikey’s forearms and rubbed them softly, hoping it would calm him down.

“Why don’t you ever smile like that with me? Don’t I make you happy, Gee? Don’t I?” He asked, his voice coming out in a pleading tone.

“Of course I’m happy with you!” He exclaimed softly.

“Then why don’t you smile with me like you did in those pictures with Frank?” Gerard was confused by what he meant until he noticed the glisten coming off of his body courtesy of the nightlight. Mikey was wet, he noticed, meaning he’d been in the tub and he finally saw his hidden pictures. He hadn’t looked at them in months, because it’d gotten too hard.

“I’m _in_ love with him, Mikey. I love you just as much, but in a completely different way,” he tried explaining.

“But what if I’m in love with you? I could be Frank for you. I could try,” he cried out. Mikey knew he was being childish, and he didn’t even realize he’d felt that way. His mouth just started going and it wasn’t stopping until Gerard did _something_ , anything.

“Stop. You can’t do that. You’re your own person. I won’t allow you to do that. I will admit that there is _something_ I hold for you that’s not brotherly love, but something more, but I can’t pursue that. Frank is my one and only and I know you’ll find yours one day. Okay? Let’s go back to sleep. We’re supposed to sleep in aren’t we?” Gerard chuckled nervously, almost. Mikey felt himself grow frustrated and then grabbed Gerard’s face with both of his hands, and kissed him. _Hard_. All the emotions he was feeling was thrown into the kiss and Mikey hoped Gerard got his message.

And he did.

At some point, he kissed Mikey back, but then he stopped. Mikey pulled back and they were both panting. Gerard averted his eyes.

“Look at me,” Mikey whispered. Slowly, Gerard lifted his eyes to Mikey’s and he almost gasped at the look in his younger brother’s eyes. He looked so hurt. Almost as if Mikey were waiting for _him_ to wake up instead of Gerard waiting for Frank. He tightly held his brother against his chest.

“I’m sorry, Mikey. I don’t want you to feel so much pain. So, please, stop loving me the way you do. I can’t watch you get hurt…” He pleaded. Mikey ripped himself from Gerard’s arms and got off the bed, searching through his cabinet for boxers. He slammed the drawer shut and pulled them on.

“Mikey?” He heard his brother call. He went into the closet and pulled out his duffel bag.

“Don’t ask me to stop feeling this way. You don’t have to watch me, okay? I’ll go somewhere else!” He yelled, hurt lacing his voice. His vision went blurry as he ripped his clothes off hangers and stuffed them into the bag. He knew he was being dramatic and unreasonable, but he couldn’t help himself. He could even think to look at Gerard now, because he felt so ashamed from the way he was acting.

“I don’t want you to leave me, too…” He heard Gerard murmur. He pushed away the feeling of wanting to throw himself into Gerard’s arms and kept packing. Suddenly, he felt Gerard grab him by the shoulders. He looked up at him and glared.

“What? I’m leaving, okay?” He snapped. Before he could process what was happening, Gerard was kissing him.

“Please don’t leave me, too… You’re all I have left. You’re all I have to keep me sane.” He kissed him again.

“Please stay. Please.” He kissed him again and again, knowing it was wrong and impure. Mikey nodded and the rest of their night consisted of kissing each other until the sun rose and then they finally slept. Gerard felt relaxed knowing Mikey would stay, and also that he didn’t have to rush over to the hospital. It’d never occurred to him that he could also go later.

Gerard wanted more than anything for Frank to wake up, but where would he fit into his life now? He knew it sounded horrible, but it was true. Three years without him called for him to plan his life around visiting a hospital everyday just to see him. He had been so caught up with work, and being a brother to Mikey, that he didn’t even think about what he would do once his fiancé woke up. He still loves his Frankie dearly, but can anyone really blame him for having to move on…even a little bit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and let me know what you think? :D


	9. Four Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of suicide

Gerard sat at Frank’s bedside, having no expression but a blank face. Mikey was waiting outside for him, because he hated to see Gerard watching him. Gerard and Mikey had a weird relationship. They had a very close brotherly love, but they often kissed. Gerard never let it go any further, still wanting Frank to be his one and only. He still cared very much for Frank, but it had already been four years and he showed no signs of waking up soon. At least, nothing had changed in these past few years. Gerard let out a big sigh, exhausted at his lack of sleep. Ever since the relationship with Mikey had started, he couldn’t sleep well. He felt guilty. He was cheating on his fiancé with his own long-lost brother. He knew he should stop it, but he didn’t want to lose anyone else because of something he did.  
  
“Frank, it’s been four years. I’ve tried to refrain from telling you about the date, but you need to know how long you’ve been asleep. Life is passing you by, sweetheart, and I’m already getting used to the idea of working for the rest of my life to pay for this room. I know it sounds bad to say, but we’ve always been honest with each other. I’m sorry I’ve held this in for all four years, but I just didn’t want to hurt you. I’m sure you can hear me, I’m almost positive that you can. I know you’ve been trying to wake up, but you’re just not ready yet.” He spoke with no emotion and no hesitation. He was honestly done.  
  
“Frank, I love you so fucking much, it hurts. I’ve been here every day for the past four years waiting for you. So, please, forgive me, but I will not come here anymore. I’ll still make sure you stay in here. Taken well care of, and I’ll make sure that your parents aren’t let in, okay? I’m just so tired of watching you sleep. I’m tired of watching your life pass you by. I know I’m being selfish, especially since this was all my fault, but I can only take so much. As soon as you wake up, I’ll be here again. I’ll check in from time to time, but I can’t come every day anymore. I’ll really miss you, Frankie. Wake up soon, please,” he pleaded. His face never changed from his emotionless one as he spoke, but his heart broke as he spoke these words to the love of his life. He could never feel himself crying so he wasn’t really surprised when he felt drops of water landing on his hands which were rested on his lap. He made no move to wipe them, because he really didn’t care anymore. He stood up, and packed up all of his drawing materials slowly. He avoided looking at Frank, who still made no move on his hospital bed. He walked over to the door and called over to Mikey who was currently talking to Ray. Mikey looked over at him and noticed that he was taking his things from Frank’s room. He had questions running in his mind, but he didn’t dare ask him. Gerard never really talked anymore, especially about Frank. Ray looked at Gerard in shock. His eyes looked completely dead. It was the worst he’d ever seen Gerard. Both Mikey and Ray walked towards him.  
  
“Hey, Gee. Where are you taking your equipment? Did someone tell you they weren’t allowed in there? Who was it so I can-“  
  
“Ray, no one told me anything. I’m going to stop coming here. I’ll still pay for the bills, I just don’t want to watch him like that anymore. I’ll check in for time to time. Also, make sure he’s parents don’t get in here. They’ll try to take off his respirator,” Gerard explained. He gave Mikey half of the things he was holding and asked Ray to hold the other half really quick. Gerard walked back inside and stood right over Frank. He stared right down at his face, and then leaned down to kiss his forehead. He stood right back up again, and stared at him again for a moment before turning away and walking out, closing the door behind, without even looking back. He grabbed his things from Ray and then told Mikey that they were leaving.  
  
“Gerard, what are you doing?” Mikey asked as they were putting his materials into his trunk. Gerard shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“I just couldn’t take it anymore. I don’t know how to be happy when I think about him. I still love him to death, Mikey, but that’s exactly why I can’t watch him like that anymore,” he explained as he closed the trunk, and walked around the car and got in. Mikey stood there for a moment, but finally snapped out of his thoughts as Gerard turned on his car. As he got in, he noticed that Gerard wasn’t moving at all.  
  
“Do you think I did the right thing just now?” Gerard asked him.  
  
“Well, do _you_ think you did the right thing?” He stared at Mikey for a while before backing up and pulling out of the parking lot. It was quiet on the way home, before Gerard spoke.  
  
“Do you mind working with another person today? I’m going to call in. I think I’d really like to be alone.” Mikey felt weird about having to leave him alone, but decided it was best to let him think about everything that was going on. He nodded to answer Gerard’s question and they stayed silent the rest of the drive home.  
  
“Thanks for understanding, Mikey,” Gerard told him as he watched him get ready for work. Gerard had just gotten off the phone with Brian and let him know what exactly had happened. He understood and gave his approval for his request to drop his shift. Before Mikey, left he hugged Gerard tightly. Gerard squeezed him back. As they pulled away, Gerard leaned down slightly to kiss the top of his head.  
  
“I love you, Mikey,” he told his younger brother. Mikey gave him a strange look, but shook it away. He leaned in and gave Gerard a kiss on the lips before running out the door and walking to work. Even though Gerard had offered him a ride, he refused because it was cloudy and windy outside. The perfect weather for him. He was always happy during these types of days, but thinking about how Gerard was acting was damping his mood. He was positive his brother wouldn’t do anything stupid, right? He sighed and continued on his way to work.  
  
Gerard sat on his couch staring up at the ceiling. He had a notebook resting on his lap and a pen lazily in his hand. He sighed for the tenth time before putting the pen to the notebook.  
  
‘ _Dear Mikey,_  
 _No matter what you think, this isn’t your fault. I love you so much, okay? Please watch over Frank while I’m gone-‘_ He stopped writing and torn the paper out before crumpling it up and throwing it on the floor along with the other poor suicide notes. He knew it was probably wrong to leave Mikey, but everything he owned, he put Mikey down as the next person it belonged to. Him and Frank. He could leave this earth knowing Mikey had money to take care of himself, and if Frank woke up, then he also had a good amount. They wouldn’t have to worry. He tossed his notebook aside and laid down on the couch, and curling up into a ball. He felt his chest hurting more than he’d ever felt it. He’d thought for a moment before bolting right up.  
  
“What the hell is wrong with me? I love Frankie! Why did I just let Mikey go to work on his own?” He yelled to himself as he ran to the room and quickly got dressed in his work clothes. He knew, right as he ran out the door that he needed to man up. Frank was his fiancé, Mikey was his brother, Ray and Brian were his best friends, and he _loved_ his jobs. He needed to pull himself together so Mikey had a good role model in his life and not some fucked up man that was too busy sulking around that he couldn’t give him the love he promised. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the theater, smiling the whole way because he couldn’t wait to see Mikey and give him the biggest hug. He couldn’t wait to tell him he loved him and kiss him. Kissing was something that became a custom. He really didn’t think it meant anything to intimate with him, because it’d become such a habit. Although, he had to tell Mikey that they probably shouldn’t do that anymore. He loved Mikey to death and would probably spend the rest of his life with _him_ , but he was once again positive that his fiancé would wake up soon. It was a beautiful feeling that he loved to feel spread all over his body. It brought comfort and safety to his heart that he hadn’t felt in such a long time. He wasn’t sure it still existed, but here it was, once more, giving him the love he hadn’t felt in a long while. And he knew it was Frank sending his love, telling him not to give up. He chuckled as he parked his old car, and got out, quickly running inside.  
  
“I knew you’d be here,” he heard a familiar voice say. He turned and smiled at Brian, which seemed to shock him, but he ended up smiling back. “Nice to have you back, Gee. Mikey’s waiting for you in theater 6. Your favorite.” Gerard smiled and thanked him before running off, avoiding running into the customers crowding the halls. A lot of them greeted him with a hello or a simple wave, those were the people he saw regularly and he offered a big smile back. Once he made it to theater six, he saw the door was closed meaning there was a movie playing. He made his way into the little room where they finalized and kept track of their orders, and peeked his head in. He saw Mikey typing something in the system, with his back towards him. He smiled to himself before walking up and wrapping his arms around his younger brother’s waist. He felt Mikey tense and the contact, but then relax once he felt the familiar sense surround him.  
  
“Gee?” Mikey asked.  
  
“I’m here, Mikey. I’m sorry. I’ll be better from now on, okay? I love you,” he told him. Mikey turned to face him, and saw the look of happiness in his eyes once more. He felt a weight lifting off his shoulders that he hadn’t realized was there. His eyes watered and he cried against Gerard as he held him tightly. Gerard comforted him by hugging him tightly and telling him that he was sorry for making him worry.  
  
“Are you going to start seeing Frank again?” Mikey asked. Gerard smiled.  
  
“Of course. He’s my fiancé,” he answered. Mikey smiled, but Gerard didn’t miss the hurt flashing through his eyes for a moment. The fact that he wasn’t sulking meant that he let his love for him go so Gerard, himself, could be happy. This realization made Gerard hug Mikey tighter. When they pulled away, they both had tears in their eyes, but chuckled to each other instead. It was the start of a new chapter in their lives. Maybe Frank would wake up in a few years or maybe he wouldn’t, all both of them knew was that Gerard would be there whenever he did. Or he would be the one to turn off his respirator even if it got him thrown in jail.  
  
“Now, let’s serve the shit out of this movie. Gonna be a big crowd, right?” Gerard asked. He hadn’t checked the ticket sales, but judging by how Mikey was looking rushed, he could tell.  
  
“Very big. But nothing you can’t handle, Gee,” Mikey chuckled and kissed his brother’s cheek. “I missed you though. Never do that shit again, all right? Or I’ll have to kick your little ass.” Gerard scoffed.  
  
“Little? Honey, this is what they call the ideal ass!” Gerard said, giving a slight swag of his hips.  
  
“You’re so sassy, Gee.”  
  
“The sassiest,” Gerard giggled. The rest of the night Gerard couldn’t stop smiling because he’d finally found himself again. Mikey kept smiling because Gerard was smiling, and it never faltered. It reached his eyes and never dropped down to the floor and that was the best he’d felt in all the time he’d known Gerard. Not even their first heated kiss could compare to this.  
  
“I’m still happy that you’re happy,” Mikey told his older brother when they were getting in his car. Gerard chuckled as he buckled himself in after getting in the car. Mikey did the same and leaned back into his seat.  
  
“I’m going to see Frankie first thing in the morning before I go to my other job, but tonight, how about we rent a couple of movies and get some junk food and just be with each other?” Gerard asked. Even though Mikey answered with a normal sure, he knew his younger brother was excited. All Mikey had been wanting was Gerard’s attention, because he came to live with Gerard to be happy. They stopped by a late night movie store and he let Mikey go wild on all the movies he’d been wanting to see. Others thought they were weird for waiting until the movies came out on DVD because they could go see them in theaters for free, but they loved putting the movies in the DVD player and being able to pause it whenever they had to do something else. It was being able to control the movie that made them feel better. For Gerard, playing a movie was like asking Frank to wake up without him actually waking up. For Mikey, it was a little like asking Gerard to stop worrying already without asking him. After the movie shack, they headed to the store to get some junk food and unhealthy drinks because you can’t have a movie night without junk food.  
  
“What movie should we watch first?” Mikey asked him as they arrived home.  
  
“Well, whichever one you pick, I’ll be happy just watching it with you,” he answered as they walked inside. Gerard was taking off his shoes after locking the door and quietly humming to himself.  
  
“Gerard, what the fuck is this?” He heard Mikey’s voice ask with malice. He quickly turned and saw Mikey holding one of the notes he’d crumpled up into.  
  
“You were planning on killing yourself? You were going to leave me, Gerard? Alone? Just like that?” Mikey’s eyes roamed the paper before continuing, “And to make me watch over that son of a bitch in that hospital over there?”  
  
“But I didn’t. Listen, Mikey, when I was writing that, I was only thinking about myself. I had, like, an epiphany right at that moment. I’m not leaving you, okay? I would _never_ do that. Trust me,” Gerard explained as he looked into the younger man’s eyes. Mikey sighed and picked up the pieces of paper before tossing them in the trash.  
  
“You’re lucky you’re cute, Gerard,” he mumbled as he plopped down on the couch and crossed his arms, letting out a little pout. Gerard chuckled as he put one of the movies in the DVD player. He grabbed a couple bags of chips and sat down next to Mikey.  
  
“I’m really lucky to have you in my life, Mikey. I’m glad we found each other and that you’re my brother. Who knows where I’d be without you,” he paused, “I’d probably have given up a hell of a long time ago,” he finished as he put his arms around his brother and squeezed tightly.  
  
“I love you, too, Gee,” his whispered in the crook of Gerard’s neck. The rest of their night consisted of laughing, watching movies, and eating junk food together. Gerard was spaced out a lot of the time thinking about Frank. He didn’t know what exactly was going to happen in the future, but he had hope again. The hope that had been crushed long ago was suddenly blooming again. The happiness he was feeling overwhelmed him, but he welcomed it all the more. He needed to be the best he could for Mikey, Frankie, and for himself. Hope was a good thing to have, especially in the darkest of moments. He’d go see his fiancé tomorrow and everything will be better again. He knew it would, because he had hope once again.  
  
He and Mikey fell asleep on the couch, and they both had sore back whenever they woke up. They got ready for the day together, which was mainly spent chasing each other around the apartment with wet, twisted up towels trying to whip the other. Gerard won.  
  
“I’m going to the hospital. Did you want to come?” He asked Mikey.  
  
“Nah, I’m going to stay here for a while. Tell Frank I said hello,” he answered as he laid down on their bed and opened the book he’s been newly obsessed with: _Beautiful Creatures_. Gerard chuckled and told him bye before taking off to the hospital.  
  
“Gerard? I thought you were going to stop coming?” Ray asked as he was about to walk into Frank’s room. Before he could answer, Ray’s pager went off and he went running the other way. Gerard was left there in shock, noting about how serious he was when it came to his patients. His smiled returned to his face as he opened the door to Frank’s room. Even though he hadn’t been gone a full 24 hours, he still looked around the room to see if anything had changed. Nothing had. It was silent in his room.  
  
‘ _Wait.. Silent? What about the sound of his respirator?!_ In a state of panic, Gerard rushed to his bedside and put his hands on Frank’s face. He felt cold.  
  
“Frankie? Frank!” He yelled. He sobbed and held his wrist, checking for a pulse. He waited for a bit until he calmed down and it was then that he felt his pulse. _He’s alive!_ The door opened and a nurse came in.  
  
“Mr. Way, we were going to call you in order to inform you, but we’re glad you’re here. It seems Mr. Iero doesn’t need help breathing anymore. I won’t give you false hope, but this is some really good news.” They talked for a little while before she took her leave. Her name was Jamia, and she was very pretty and very nice, but Gerard felt uncomfortable with the way she was looking at Frank. He shook his jealousy and insecurities away as he took hold of Frank’s hand and held it tightly.  
  
“Everything will be better now, Frankie. I love you. So fucking much. I’ll be here every day. I was being a fucking dick by saying all those things to you. I’m sorry. I’ll never leave you again,” Gerard said as he kissed Frank deeply.  
  
Watching them from the little window was Frank’s nurse, Jamia. Her heart clenched in her chest. She was in love with Gerard. She felt guilty thinking that Frank didn’t deserve his love. She wanted to be with him, and she didn’t want anything to stop her. Not even herself. She turned and walked away from their room, continuing on her rounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter!


	10. Five Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my longest chapter so far.

Gerard clutched Frank’s hand. He stared deeply into his face and let his eyes rest on him.  
  
“Frank, something weird is happening…” he began. His voice was a whisper, as if he were afraid to speak too loudly. As if someone were listening. He leaned down closer and rested his head on Frank’s shoulder before continuing, “your nurse, Jamia, she’s… she’s been kind of hitting on me. I mean, I’m flattered, or at least in the beginning I was, but it’s gotten out of hand now. I think she really wants to, like, hurt me or you. She’s-she’s acting crazy!” He whispered. He knew that Frank wouldn’t say anything, because he couldn’t, but what he didn’t expect was for Frank to groan softly in response. He shot upright and stared at Frank in surprise as he groaned again. As a response, Gerard pinched and slapped himself multiple times. It wasn’t his imagination!  
  
“Ray! Ray! Someone!” He almost screamed as he ran for the door. As he was running out, he ran into Jamia. He’d question her later on why she was there, right now Frank was more important.  
  
“Get in here! Look! He’s groaning! Is he waking up?” He asked frantically as he pulled the short nurse by her arm into the room. She rushed over to his side as she heard the groan. She checked his pulse and did some other things before sighing and looking at Gerard with an ‘I’m-sorry’ look.  
  
“Sorry, Mr. Way, but it was just a reflex. It happens often with coma patients and can often be confused with waking up. Try to relax, okay?” She explained as she put a hand on his shoulder. It was cold and he almost shivered, but he smiled sadly and just nodded.  
  
“How about we go and have some coffee down in the cafeteria and we can talk?” She asked.  
  
“No, thank you. I have work soon and I’d love to spend this time with Frank. I appreciate the offer though, really,” he said as he smiled at her. He saw the look of hurt in her eyes, even as she smiled.  
  
“That’s no problem. Some other time, then,” she said and made her way out the door. Gerard shivered as she closed the door and went back to Frank’s side.  
  
“See what I mean, Frankie? It’s a little… much…” He said with a sigh of frustration.  
  
“What’s a little much?” Gerard jumped slightly, but relaxed once he saw it was his beloved brother.  
  
“Oh, hey, Mikey! Your shift over?” He asked him, avoiding his question.  
  
“Yeah, I’m on break. I wanted to see if you wanted to eat lunch together?” He asked Gerard as he held up a bag of Jack in the Box. Gerard smiled and nodded happily. That was the only fast food he would ever eat.  
  
“You know me so well,” he said as Mikey pulled up a chair next to Gerard and Frank.  
  
“Of course! And I got your usual, but this time I got the curly fries because I noticed you got regular fries last time,” he explained to Gerard as he started taking the food out. Gerard watched Mikey with a smile. He wondered how he was so lucky to have him despite the depression taking him over the past few years. He was just glad that he decided to never leave him, because he couldn’t imagine his life without him now. He looked over to Frank and suddenly, he thought he saw Mikey in Frank’s position, bringing tears to his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder as he sucked in his breath.  
  
“Gee? What’s wrong?” Mikey asked his older brother. Gerard wiped his eyes and smiled as he shook his head.  
  
“Don’t worry, Mikey. I’m all right.” Mikey smiled and quickly unwrapped his burger and took a huge bite out of it. Gerard chuckled at Mikey’s appetite. Even though he were the skinniest person he’d ever met, he ate so much and never gained a thing. Though, he should probably tell him to ease up on the fast food, because metabolism could only take him so far. He took a bite out of his sandwich after removing the tomatoes and sighed happily as he chewed and looked at Mikey before looking at Frank. He liked his life. Even though he was really sad that Frank was still sleeping, he was happy that he had Mikey and Ray and Brian to hold him up. The hope he’d gained back that day one year ago had not faltered, and he was happy. Mikey had been smiling more as the weeks went by, and Brian and Ray had been inviting him out to drink more now that he wouldn’t be a depressing drunk anymore. Back then, whenever he was invited out, he would end up ruining the night by being a wet blanket. He hated seeing their smiles run off their face whenever he started bringing up horrible memories.  
  
“Is something on your mind?” Mikey asked him. He looked over at his brother saw him finishing up the last of his large fries. How long had he been spacing out?  
  
“No. I was just thinking about how I’m much happier now. I’ll be right back though. I need to use the restroom,” Gerard said as he put his food down.  
  
“Okay. I’ll be waiting here for you.” He leaned down and kissed Frank’s forehead before turning to Mikey and kissing him. He walked out of the room and sighed softly as he made his way to the restroom, humming softly.  
  
“Do you always kiss your brother like that?” He heard a small voice say behind him. He jump slightly before turning around and seeing Jamia. He gave her a small smile.  
  
“We’re close as a family. It’s just natural, you know?”  
  
“But will you still do it if Frank wakes up?” She asked. He thought for a moment before getting defensive.  
  
“You mean when he does and yes.”  
  
“Yes. When he does,” she said as she looked away, her eyes holding a certain gleam. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Gerard cleared his throat and then opened his mouth to speak.  
  
“Well, um, I was on my way to the restroom. Uh, I’ll see you later then,” he said as he walked away.  
  
“Yes, you will,” he heard her mumble as he walked away. He pretended not to hear it and continue on his way.  
  
‘ _She’s a bit odd. I really feel uncomfortable around her. I hope she leaves Mikey alone, because I don’t want him getting mixed up with her. I better hurry and get back to him. 10 minutes until I go in and his break is over,’_ he thought as he walked back into the room. He was relieved whenever he saw Mikey humming to himself as he waited for his return. He walked up behind him and put his arms around his shoulder and rested his head on Mikey’s.  
  
“Glad you didn’t fall in, Gee,” he laughed. Gerard rolled his eyes and took his seat by Mikey. He started putting his food up and packing up his things. Mikey stood and waited patiently for him.  
  
“Okay, Frankie, Mikey and I will be heading off to work now. I’ll come by later tonight. I love you lots, baby,” he said as he kissed Frank on his lips, lingering for a little bit. It was a kiss that reminded him a lot of their first time.  
  
 _“Gerard, are you sure this is okay with you?” Frank asked him as he stared up at his loving boyfriend of five years._  
  
 _“We’ve been together for a long time, and for a long time, I’ve resisted as much as possible. I wanted it to be perfect, because you’re important to me,” he answered as he kissed Frank on his forehead before getting up and doing some stretches. Frank giggled._  
  
 _“Gee Bear, what the fuck are you doing?” He asked._  
  
 _“Well, I don’t want to pull something while it’s happening,” he explained._  
  
 _“While what’s happening?” Frank teased._  
  
 _“You know, when we’re makin’ the sex,” Gerard responded with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Frank threw his head back in a fit of laughter._  
  
 _“Just get your ass over here. You’re ruining whatever mood was created!” Gerard climbed onto the bed and hugged Frank into his side, breathing in the scent of him deeply. Even the smell of Frank was enough to stir up his member in arousal, and tonight, he didn’t have to hold back. This was their time._  
  
 _“Gerard?” Frank murmured against his neck._  
  
 _“Hm?”_  
  
 _“We really don’t have to do this tonight, you know?” Gerard smiled at his words._  
  
 _“Frank, do you want to know why I wanted to wait for so long?” Frank nodded._  
  
 _“Because I wanted all this tension to be built up between us so whenever we finally made love, it would be amazing. Something we would remember forever,” he whispered huskily into his ear. Frank shivered and pushed up slightly up into him, causing Gerard to give a short gasp._  
  
 _“That’s beautiful, Gee,” Frank whispered back, kissing lightly at his neck. They shared a look before slowly leaning in to one of the most heartfelt kisses they’d ever shared. Frank positioned himself on top of Gerard and softly grinded his erect member against Gerard’s. Their moans echoed throughout the room and, soon, they found themselves unable to stand the fabric of their clothes keeping them apart. Gerard slowly ran his hands along Frank’s sides, pulling his shirt up and over his head before tossing it about the room. He kissed from Frank’s jawline to his collarbone, leaving a trail of his saliva from his wet kisses._  
  
 _“Oh, Gerard, baby,” he whispered, “I want you so badly. Please…”he begged. Gerard grabbed Frank’s hips and grinded himself up into Frank, causing him to gasp loudly and spasm slightly. He looked down into Gerard’s eyes as tears cascaded down his cheeks. Gerard gave him a concerned look._  
  
 _“Honey, what’s wrong? Am I hurting you?” He asked his beloved Frankie. He shook his head in response._  
  
 _“No. Never, Gee. I just love you so much,” he said as he smiled as his eyes glistened with tears. Gerard smiled back and pulled him down for a deep kiss. Frank licked Gerard’s lips, asking for entrance. Gerard smirked and opened his mouth and attacked Frank’s mouth before he had the chance to do the same to him. Frank moaned into his mouth and melted against him, their bodies pressing against each other. Gerard sat up and pulled off his shirt before hugging Frank closely._  
  
 _“You’ve always been so beautiful, Gee,” Frank whispered breathily as he studied every detail of Gerard’s chest. He blushed in response and bit his lip hard to try and contain the blush beginning to rise on his cheeks._  
  
 _“Thank you, Frankie. But I think you’re the one that makes me beautiful,” he responded. Frank didn’t bother to hide his blush and quickly went for Gerard’s lips, crushing them with his own and climbing on top of him as they fell back. It was a heated kiss full of nothing but tongue and teeth. They pushed their bodies together and a moan escaped Gerard’s lips as Frank nipped at his neck, leaving red marks on his neck that were sure to turn into bruises later tonight. Such a thought made Frank swell with pride, and he looked up at Gerard withering under him with a smirk._  
  
 _“Frankie, I-I can’t wait anymore,” he pleaded._  
  
  
Mikey and Gerard pulled into the parking lot of the movie theater, and walked inside.  
  
“Ugh, I’m so full!” Mikey exclaimed. Gerard rolled his eyes.  
  
“Surprising. You even offered to finish my food for me,” he said sarcastically. When Mikey reached for his wrapped up food on the drive over, and Gerard quickly swatted his hand away.  
  
“Hey, big boys have an appetite!” He argued, crossing his arms as they clocked in. Gerard rolled his eyes and waved his hand in the air in front of him.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, _big boy_ ,” he teased. Mikey blushed and walked away before he could see Gerard laughing in his face. His laugh soon died down to chuckle, and then a big smile. He walked out from the back and grabbed his apron from the front counter.  
  
“Oh, Gerard. I didn’t know you worked here,” he heard a small voice. He froze, knowing it was the nurse, and slowly turned around. There she was, still in her scrubs and seemed to be out of breath, as if she ran over there. The hair coming from her ponytail was sticking to her forehead from her sweat.  
  
“But I’ve worn my work uniform to work to the hospital?” He said skeptically. She looked almost nervous.  
  
“O-oh, yeah. Right,” she murmured. Gerard hadn’t been this terrified since he saw Frank in the hospital bed. Nurse Jamia really made him shiver in fear, because she had the same stare as Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Her stare was too hard and cold that he could barely look her in the eyes without flinching.  
  
“So, you’re here to see a movie? That’s great! If you need anything, come look for me or ask _anyone_ else here and I know they’ll be happy to help,” he said bubbly. He tried to stress the word anyone as much as possible without seeming so. She smiled and nodded as he said his goodbye and ran into the theater he and Mikey were working. He walked up behind Mikey and wrapped his arms around his shoulder.  
  
“Hey, Gee,” Mikey giggled. Gerard smiled in response, but then frowned.  
  
“Hey, Mikey. Can I tell you something?” He whispered in his ear. Mikey nodded.  
  
“Of course. What’s wrong?” He asked his older brother. He noticed the hesitation in his voice and the way he was slightly shaking.  
  
“You know Frank’s nurse, right?” Mikey nodded, “Well, I think… she may be following me. And I’m not stupid like that bullshit in the movies, so what if she ends up trying to hurt Frankie?” He asks. Mikey turned around to face him with a stern look in his eyes.  
  
“You need to tell Ray. Make him assign a new nurse or transfer to another hospital, or something! This is harassment!” He said. Gerard shook his head.  
  
“What if she retaliates and ends up hurting one of us? I don’t want to risk anybody’s safety. I’m not saying it’s a for sure thing, but I _do not_ want to become a fucking soap opera.” They gave each other a hard look before Mikey finally sighed and nodded his head in agreement.  
  
“Fine. I love you, Gee,” Mikey said as he closed his eyes and puckered his lips. Gerard chuckled before kissing him and then patting him on the head.

“I love you, too, dear. Now, let’s get ready for the set.”  
  
 _Gerard was now on top of Frank. They were both fully naked and held each other closely. Their hearts were both pounding in their chests, but they swallowed their nervousness and held each other closer. Gerard hovered over Frank, staring at him before leaning down to kiss him tenderly. Frank moaned into his mouth once more as he felt Gerard stroking his member; as a result, he began bucking his hips into Gerard’s hand. Frank felt absolute bliss as he felt his other half trail kisses from his mouth all the way to his manhood, and licking it from his base to his tip. He hadn’t felt Gerard touch him like this and the feeling was purely amazing._  
  
 _“F-fuck, Gee…” He breathed out. He looked down in time to see Gerard smirk at him before he took all of Frank into his mouth. Frank threw his head back giving a silent moan and a slight arch of his back. He felt a rush of hot and cold spread throughout his entire body, and he couldn’t exactly explain it. He wanted it to stop, but also wanted it to continue to the point where he lost himself. Yet, with Gerard, he would go anywhere with him, especially Cloud 9. Eventually, Gerard pulled away and trailed his tongue down further to the place he wanted to be filled by him._  
  
 _“Is it okay, Frankie?” Gerard whispered. Frank nodded his head frantically and Gerard wasted no time in licking his hole, causing Frank to shiver underneath him. He reached down searching for his hand, Gerard reached up and tightly grabbed his hand as he pushed his tongue inside of him as far as he could reach, using his other hand to grip Frank’s hip._  
  
 _“Gerard, I-I’m so close…” he murmured. Gerard pulled away and Frank groaned, pouting. The cold heat was in the right place and he didn’t want Gerard to stop. He watched as Gerard coated one of his fingers in his saliva and reached down, tracing his hole with said finger as he stared up at him with eyes full of both love and lust. Frank nodded again and closed his eyes tightly as he felt Gerard’s finger slid inside of him slowly. His breathing became hard and he felt a bit suffocated, but it wasn’t unwelcomed._  
  
 _“Am I hurting you, Frank? Let me know and I’ll stop,” he heard Gerard tell him. He shook his head and opened his eyes, looking up at him._  
  
 _“Never stop.” Was all he could think to say as he looked into his eyes. Gerard gave him one of the sweetest smiles he’d ever seen and sucked in air through his teeth as he felt Gerard pulling his finger out before pushing it back in. This process was repeated until Frank’s moans became louder and his begging became more frequent. Another finger was added until Frank felt that he was ready for Gerard. He’d never seen Gerard’s member before, but he knew it was a very good size and he would take all the preparing he could get. Soon enough, Gerard removed his fingers and looked at Frank expectantly. Frank smiled tiredly and crawled over to Gerard, ignoring the slight sting in his bottom and came face to face with Gerard’s manhood. He was nervous. He’d never done this before, but the way Gerard was stroking his hair made him feel reassured and took a deep breath before slowly taking all of Gerard into his mouth, rubbing tongue along his erection trying to find his sensitive spot. He was rewarded when he’d flicked his tongue over a certain spot that caused his partner to twitch almost violently and thrust up into his mouth. Thank God for no gag reflex, he thought as he continued to take Gerard’s thrust, and loving the way his member was hitting every inch of his mouth. His own manhood twitched in excitement as he watched his significant other lose himself by his touch and make the noises he was making._  
  
 _“Frank, I-I’m…!” Before Gerard had a chance to release many years of built up pressure, Frank pulled away after coating Gerard’s erection in a thick coat of his saliva. Gerard almost glared at him as he was catching his breath._  
  
Gerard gave Mikey a pat on the head as they were cleaning their theater together. They were laughing and talking when they saw someone walk in from the corner of their eyes and they turned to look at the person to discover it was Nurse Jamia. Mikey glared and Gerard gave her and uneasy glance.  
“I think I’m in the wrong theater,” she laughed nervously, taking notice of Mikey’s glare.  
  
“Yeah. No customer is allowed in here while cleaning is happening. What theater are you looking for?” Mikey said as he tried his best not to attack her. She held up her receipt and passed it to Mikey who held out his hand. Gerard walked over next to Mikey and avoided eye contact with Jamia.  
  
“You’re on the wrong side of the theater. You’re supposed to go to theater one, this is six. Go back down to the front lobby but keep heading straight and there should be a very large lit up number one right next to the door of the theater. Well, if you’ll excuse us, Gerard and I have to finish cleaning before the next showing. Thank you and enjoy your movie,” Mikey answered as he handed her ticket back, and turned away from her, continuing picking up trash, Gerard gave her a sympathetic smile and waved at her as she turned to leave. Once Gerard was sure she was gone, he swatted Mikey on the back of the head.  
  
“Ow!” He hissed in response.  
  
“Mikey, on the huge chance she’s fucking mental, I don’t want her to hurt you! Be careful around her.”  
  
“Just tell Ray and he’ll send her far away,” Mikey whined. Gerard sighed and turned his back on his as he was setting dishes in the cart.  
  
“Mikey haven’t you learned anything from horror movies? The psycho always finds a way back,” he said. Mikey nodded his head in agreement.  
  
“That’s true. But what are you going to do?” He asked him. Gerard shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“I’m going to try and not anger her. It’s the best option.” They stayed silent after that. All the laughter and happiness was sucked away when Jamia left. She took it from the room, determined to make sure Gerard wasn’t happy without her.  
  
 _“Do it, Gerard,” Frank whispered huskily into Gerard’s ear. Gerard was hovering over Frank, who had his legs wrapped around his waist, urging Gerard, who had his member pressed against Frank’s entrance, to enter him fully._  
  
 _“What if I hurt you?” Gerard asked hesitantly. Frank caressed his cheek and smiled up softly at him._  
  
 _“You could never hurt me, Gee Bear. But it’s okay if you want to stop. Like I said before, it doesn’t have to be now, because we have forever,” Frank replied. Gerard felt tears in his eyes, because as beautiful as the moment was, it felt bittersweet. Almost foreshadowing. Gerard shook his head and lifted Frank’s hips up, and slowly pushed himself into Frank. He watched as Frank tightly closed his eyes and bit his lip tightly. His back arched up off the bed, causing his chest to push into Gerard’s. Tears came from Frank’s eyes, but he knew better than to stop, and once he was fully inside of Frank, he panted against Frank’s collarbone. He was so tight that Gerard couldn’t breathe, but there was no regret. They stayed still for what seemed like forever, until Frank pushed against Gerard, causing both of them to moan and suddenly, Gerard had almost no self-control as he thrusted in and out of Frank at a steady pace._  
  
 _“Please, Gee, fast-..!” Frank moaned, but didn’t get to finish his plead as Gerard thrusted into him faster and faster, letting himself get lost inside of Frank knowing that he would soon be found when morning came. Soon, he felt an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of his stomach and he wanted nothing more than for it to spread across his entire body. His thrusts became harder, and his grip on Frank’s hip became much tighter. Frank’s moans turned into screams of pleasure as he reached his limit and finished all over his and Gerard’s stomach, and he finished once again as he witnessed Gerard lean down and lick the semen off of his stomach. Soon enough, Gerard reached his own limit and finished hard inside of Frank, and Frank shivered as he felt Gerard’s semen fill him up. Something he’d been dreaming about happening for the longest time, and he smiled up at Gerard, memorizing how his face looked at this very moment. It was definitely something he’d never forget._  
  
“Mikey, you ready to go home?” Gerard asked his younger brother. Mikey was putting away the dishes and they were the last two servers in the building. All the main lights had been shut off, so it looked very calm to the both of them.  
  
“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s go,” he responded as he picked up his backpack and waited for Gerard to clock out so he could as well. They were walking outside when Gerard’s phone rang. They were confused on who was calling so late, but when they saw Ray’s name on his screen, they weren’t surprised. Gerard answered the call as they reached his car.  
  
“Hey, Ray! Did you want to go-“ He started saying, but Ray interrupted him.  
  
“Frank, you need to get over to the hospital _now_!” Ray yelled. Gerard froze in his tracks and paused all of his movements of getting into the car. Mikey gave him a concerned look.  
  
“What happened?” He asked, panicking.  
  
“He just woke up, Gerard… He just woke up. You’ve got to get here,” Ray whispered. Gerard’s breath came out as a bit of a shriek and he dropped to his knees. Mikey rushed over to his side and kneeled beside him.  
  
“Gerard? Gerard! What’s wrong?!” Mikey asked as he shook Gerard by the shoulders.  
  
“F-five years…” He whispered. “He’s awake, Mikey… Frank’s awake.” Mikey looked at him in shock. He helped Gerard stand up.  
  
“Well, then you need to go see him!” He yelled as he walked Gerard to the passenger side and put him inside, buckling him in. He ran over to the driver’s side and got in, quickly starting the car. Gerard sat in shock the whole car ride over there. He couldn’t believe that his fiancé was awake. He was going to be able to hug him back, talk to him, kiss him, and start his life all over again.  
  
Frank is awake.

 

Was Gerard happy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the time this was originally posted, I hadn't updated in over a month. I was still in college and steadily going downhill. I wanted this chapter to be longer because I felt I owed the readers that for my sudden absence and poor updating skills. Not only did this chapter include the long awaited wakening of Frank, but my VERY first ever written sex scene. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter <3 Much love :))


	11. This is Their Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just a flashback and I think it's very sweet <3

_“So, I don’t mean to be_ that _boyfriend, but when am I going to meet your parents?” Frank asked his significant other as they strolled through the town park with coffees in their hands. Gerard stayed silent for a while, taking a couple of sips from his black coffee before nodding his head thoughtfully.  
_  
 _“Well, I could take you to meet my father right now, but my mother is working late so that’ll have to wait. Is that okay with you?” Gerard asked. He turned his head to look a Frank with a smile that had a type of feel to it that Frank couldn’t explain._  
 _  
“Of course,” Frank answered with a smile._  
 _  
“Great. It’s going to be sun down in a couple more hours so we should have plenty of time,” Gerard murmured as he picked up his pace and led Frank down a couple of blocks before stopping front of a dirt road._  
 _  
“Your parents are separated?” Frank asked. He was confused because he’d been to Gerard’s home before and it was the opposite way he’d been led._  
 _  
“Yes, you can say that. Come on,” Gerard said quietly as he led him down the dirt trail. They walked for well over half an hour before Frank finally got the confidence to ask,_  
 _  
“How much further is it, Gee?” He asked. He looked up ahead and Gerard and saw him smiling._  
 _  
“It’s right here,” he answered as they both came to a complete stop. Frank expected to see a small house, something that was completely_ alive _. He wasn’t expecting to be standing in front of a cemetery. In the entire few years he’d known Gerard, he’d never brought up his parents. Sure, he sometimes spoke of the insane things this quirky mother did, but never his father. Frank assumed that they didn’t have a very good relationship, because that’s how the majority of teen boys and their fathers were. It never even crossed his mind that Gerard’s dad might’ve been… not alive. Frank’s grip on Gerard’s hand tightened as they walked through the gate entrance. With Gerard leading the way, Frank kept his eyes completely focused on his back. Once Gerard stopped, he knew they were at his father’s plot._  
 _  
“Here he is, Frank.” Was all Gerard could think to say. Bringing someone to a place so private and personal was something he never did. He never even came with his mother, only by himself. He’d spend a lot of time sitting in the dirt, mud, snow, heat, or leaves (depending on what season it was) just talking to him and giving him an update on his life. The man buried right in front of them wasn’t Gerard’s real father, but he was more like a dad than his biological father was. He never knew who his real father was, but he really didn’t want to know either because he never felt like he was missing a part of himself. Jack, his dad, was someone who took what emptiness he would’ve had from his father bailing on him and his mother and filled it with playing catch, playing guitar, rocking out to music together, family dinners, and board games._  
 _  
“Dad, this is Frank. The man I love,” he said quietly. Talking to his father out loud, even by himself, was difficult, but having another person there felt suffocating. He took a deep breath and slowly looked at Frank, prepared to have the possibility of him freaking out in his face and leaving. He didn’t doubt Frank’s love for him, but keeping a death as significant as this away from the person you love seemed like a type of bad thing to do. He didn’t really like to talk about Jack too much, and it’s not because he doesn’t love. It’s_ because _he loves him that he can’t, talking about him just reminds himself that he was really gone. It was that crushing feeling in your chest and that sinking in your head that was unwelcome. The unimaginable pain of emptiness that came when the realization sank in another centimeter was enough to cause one death all on its own. Frank didn’t have a horrified look on his face, instead he had tears in his eyes and his other hand covering his mouth. Frank’s eyes shifted from Jack’s headstone to Gerard’s eyes and he hugged him tightly._  
 _  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Frankie. I don’t really like to talk about Jack too much,” Gerard whispered in his ear. Frank shook his head in understanding as he pulled away, wiping his tears._  
 _  
“No, that’s all right. I understand,” Frank said. He turned away from Gerard to face Jack’s grave._  
 _  
“Hi, Jack. As Gerard said, I’m Frank. I really love him, and I wanted to tell you that you did a very good job in bringing him up.” Frank took a seat on the ground next to Jack’s head stone as Gerard gave him a look of amazement. “I’m sure you’ve seen Gerard’s drawings, right? Well, he won’t let me see them! Me, being the curious individual that I am, have made it a goal to see at least one of them. You know what he does that I love? He smiles. No matter what, he always has a smile on his face. He could be having the worst day ever and his smile would save the both of us. I feel like I don’t deserve him most of the time, but our relationship isn’t about who deserves what, it’s about how much we love each other. And I promise you that I love your son more than anyone in the world,” he said. Gerard’s eyes teared up as he tried to hide his smile, but found that to be impossible. Soon enough, the sun started to set and the man locking up politely told them it was time to leave. They both nodded and Gerard helped Frank up and gave Jack’s headstone a hug as Frank dusted off his pants. As Gerard was turning away, he froze at the sight of Frank hugging Jack as well. It made him cry all over again. Frank held him on the way out as they walked back down the long, dusty trail._  
 _  
“I’m sure he was the nicest man ever,” Frank said quietly as they neared the main road. Gerard smiled at him and nodded thoughtfully._  
 _  
“He really was. I’m sure you would’ve loved him.”_  
 _  
“What makes you think I don’t?” Frank asked him. Gerard smiled once again, knowing that Frank was right. Frank was an amazing individual. He always wondered why he didn’t have any more friends, but then the selfish side of him was glad because he was able to have Frank all to himself. He loved him more than anything. He was really surprised, though, that he never grew bored of him. The only interesting thing that Gerard ever did was draw, because it was something he did with Jack. Lately, though, he’d been more interested drawing Frank doing different things, and his recent “masterpiece” consisted of a naked Frank laying on his bed with a blanket his private. Gerard really would draw ‘it,’ but he’d never seen it and it was much early in their relationship to do so anyway. They’d only been dating for three years, and that was much too soon for making love._  
 _  
“That’s true. You love everyone,” Gerard replied._  
 _  
“Hey! I’m not that easy. I only love you, your family, and my family,” Frank said as he playfully smacked his hard. Gerard giggled, and the rest of their walk was made in silence. This was something they both_ secretly _loved; the silence between when they were doing something simple made the memory somehow more imprinted into their minds as something they would never forget no matter what they did. They were the couple you saw cooking breakfast together while listening to oldies, the type of couple to watch so many movies together and reenact their favorite scenes together, the type of couple who were so natural in their way of living together._  
 _  
Gerard and Frank found love that can only be found once in a person’s lifetime, and it was something that couldn’t be destroyed by anything. It was strong to survive the passage of time…_  
  
 _Wasn’t it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my update! <3


	12. You’re Finally Awake...

As Gerard and Mikey stepped through the doors of the hospital, they were greeted by a nervous looking Ray.

“Gerard, there are a couple of things you should know before I allow you to see Frank,” Ray spoke cautiously. Gerard swallowed the lump in his throat before slowly nodding.

“You will have to be careful of the things you say to Frank. Mikey, I can’t allow you to go in there today, but maybe in a few weeks. We need to be extremely careful with Frank right now.”

“Why?” Mikey asked. Gerard couldn’t bring himself to talk. Waiting beyond that elevator and a few rooms to the left was the person he was willing to spend the rest of his life with, but that was before the accident. He didn’t know what he wanted, and he’d been feeling like that for a while. Sure, he loved Frank with all his being, but five years have come and gone and, without realizing, he’d grown accustomed to the fact that his other half may never open his eyes again.

“For Frank, time stopped on the day of the accident. This is known as anterograde amnesia. He doesn’t remember the events of the accident but is aware that he was in an accident with you, it’s still foggy for him. He does remember his long term memories of his past. He does remember that you and him are engaged, Gerard, so seeing the ring on his finger didn’t scare him. He’s been asking for you since he woke up, so I doubt you can barely contain yourself,” Ray chuckled, but then got serious once more.

“Have you changed a lot within the past five years?” He asked Gerard. Gerard looked down at himself. He’d lost a bit of weighted and grown his hair out quite a bit. While he and Frank were dating, his hair had been a bit shorter than it currently was.

“My hair. I need to cut it a little bit before I see him. He notices things like that. Give me some scissors,” he said. Ray and Mikey looked at each other skeptically. Gerard rolled his eyes.

“I always cut my hair. Just give me the damn things,” he said, offended by their lack of faith in his hair cutting abilities. Ray sighed and pulled out a pair from his doctor’s coat. After rushing to the restroom, Gerard found himself standing right outside of Frank’s hospital room. He couldn’t bring himself to open the door, and even thought about running away back into Mikey’s arms, but he wanted to see Frank. Over the years, he’d almost forgotten what his voice sounded like. It was like your family member was dead for so many years and then coming back because they’d had enough rest; it was terrifying. He stood there for a while longer before feeling someone push the small of his back slightly. He turned to see Mikey giving him an encouraging smile.

“Mikey, I don’t think I can see him,” he confessed. Mikey gave him a small frown.

“You love him,” he said back.

“Do I?” I asked aloud. He cleared his throat.

“What would you do if Frank was asking for someone else rather than you?” He asked.

“My heart would break,” he answered without another thought.

“See? You love him. Once you set your eyes on him and hear his voice, you’ll know then.” Gerard smiled at Mikey’s matureness. He’d grown a whole lot within the past few years and Gerard couldn’t be any more proud. He took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. With the way the room was set up, Gerard wouldn’t see Frank until he was pretty much standing right next to his bed because of the curtain. Upon hearing the door open, Frank’s ears perked up.

“Gee Bear?” He asked hesitantly. His throat still felt a bit scratchy. He heard a gasp and suddenly saw a figure rush to his bedside. Gerard stood in front of Frank. There he was. His eyes were open and looking at him. He heard his voice call him that oh, so adorable nickname he’d been calling him for years, and he couldn’t stop the tears from pouring out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He wasn’t the prettiest crier, which Frank (the lovable jerk) pointed out often, but he didn’t care. All the doubts about his love for him had vanished and he knew right then and there that he loved him more than before. He slowly went to his bedside and dropped to his knees, grabbing Frank’s hand, and sobbing more than he ever imagined he would whenever Frank finally woke up. When Frank held his hand tightly, he gasped.

“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay. I’m okay, Gerard. Sure, I have some cramps, but those’ll pass,” he laughed. Gerard touched his ears and sobbed more at the sound of his laugh. After almost ten minutes, Gerard finally calmed down.

“Feeling better?” Frank asked. Without another moments thought, Gerard pressed his lips against Frank’s. All of those years of frustration, depression, anxiety, and some rare moments of happiness was put into that kiss. Gerard felt Frank’s hands cup his face and he suddenly felt fine again. Everything was okay now, and they could finally start over, and such a thought made Gerard happier than he ever thought he could be.

“Yes. Now that you’re fine, fuck yes.” Frank smiled at him and held him closer.

“We should go to the coffee shop. We’ve definitely missed at least two Monday’s. Sorry, Gee Bear,” Frank mumbled. Gerard had to stop himself from gasping.

“It-it’s okay. We can make it up in no time.” Gerard hadn’t been to that coffee shop in years, and wasn’t entirely positive if it were still there or not. That was something he’d have to check. Frank sighed after a few minutes of silence before he turned to Gerard.

“Why do you look so skinny?” He asked him. Gerard looked down at himself and finally realized exactly what all of his employees and his brother were talking about. He looked almost deathly. He still had some weight to him, but not nearly as much as he used to have. He chuckled nervously.

“I’ve been on this diet and workout training to get more in shape, you know?” He lied. Frank looked at him before rolling his eyes.

“Gee, you’ve always looked amazing. You don’t have to diet or get more muscle. You’re perfect!” Frank exclaimed. Gerard giggled at his childish nature. He was still the same Frank he’d always known.

“When can I leave anyways? I wanna go on a date with you,” he pouted. Gerard thought for a moment.

“Give me a moment, I’ll go ask Ray,” he answered as he stood up. As he was turning away, he felt a hand grab his wrist. It almost scared him because he was so used to turning away from Frank and getting no reaction from him whatsoever. Gerard turned back to look at him.

“Ray?” Frank questioned.

“He’s your doctor,” he answered.

“You called him by his first name though.” Gerard panicked for a moment, before skillfully answering the question.

“He heard me singing to you once and he complimented me and we got to talking. He told me that he played guitar so I mentioned your skills and he’d been wanting to play with you for a while.”

“How long…is a while exactly?” Frank asked nervously. Gerard nearly felt his blood freeze.

“Um, at least a week or so,” he answered. He technically wasn’t lying. Gerard finally relaxed when he saw Frank ease up and give him a smile.

“Sounds awesome! He and I should totally play together!” Gerard laughed and kissed him on the forehead before heading out of the door. Once he walked away to find Ray, his smile was so big that it hurt his cheeks. He knocked on the door to Ray’s office and walked in when he heard him say to come in.

“I love you so much, Ray,” Gerard said as he pulled the doctor into a hug.

“This was all Frank. Sure, it took him quite a while, but he’s good now. So what did you need me for?” He asked Gerard.

“Can you give me a rough estimate on when he can walk out of here?” Ray thought for a moment.

“Well, since he just woke up, he’ll be very tired and open to fevers, so we’ll test him in a few days and then I can give you an estimate then. A much more accurate one than ‘soon.’” Gerard nodded, understanding. He bid Ray bye before practically running back to Frank’s room. Once he opened the door, he noticed that Frank once again had his eyes closed, laying still. His heart began pounding in his chest as he approached the bed and hesitantly. Had he just been imagining the whole thing? He grabbed Frank’s hand tightly. Frank slowly opened his eyes.

“Baby? You’re holding my hand kinda tight,” he said as he chuckled. Gerard sighed in relief, once again letting tears fall from his eyes.

“I’m sorry, dear. Just get some sleep, okay? I talked to Ray and he said that after a few days of rest, they’ll do some tests to see when you can come home.” Frank nodded sleepily, before closing his eyes and his breathing went even. Gerard smiled as he lightly stroked his cheeks. Frank could finally open his eyes and look at him. He could kiss him and say his name and finally, finally hear his laugh once more. He sat by Frank’s bedside for a few more hours until he felt the need to walk around a little bit, because he was feeling a little stiff.

“I’ll be back, Frankie,” he whispered softly as he kissed him on the forehead. Gerard walked out the door and was met with Mikey sitting on the floor next to the door.

“Gee, I missed you!” He yelled as he jumped up from his spot and hugging him tightly. Gerard chuckled, hugging him back just as tight.

“I missed you, too, Mikey.”

“So when can I meet him?” Mikey asked him, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“It’s hard to say when. Ray is right; it would have to be a few weeks. I could mention getting a new job, and so on, and just go from there,” Gerard explained.

“So, um, will you tell him about, um, us?” Mikey asked, looking away shyly. Gerard was slightly confused.

“What about…us?” He asked, getting nervous.

“Like, how close we are?” He questioned further. Gerard felt relief. For a moment, he thought that maybe he’d accidentally led Mikey on once more, and such a thing made his heart twist in his chest.

“Probably. I mean, he’ll have to understand. He loves me, so, he’ll love you. He loved Dad without knowing.”

“You mean our piece of shit dad?” Mikey asked. They hadn’t seen their dad in years and Mikey didn’t really care to. Gerard shook his head and gave a sad smile.

“I’m talking about my step-dad, Jack. I don’t think I’ve ever told you about him,” he explained. Mikey shook his head and walked forward with his older brother as he began walking down the empty hall.

“What was he like?” Mikey asked. Gerard smiled, thinking that he sounded like a little kid.

“He was a very good dad. He always made sure that I never felt lonely. He filled the emptiness our father would’ve left if it hadn’t been for him. I wish you could have met him. He passed away quite a few years ago. I want to say almost 10 years,” Gerard explained sadly. Thinking about it now, even though he felt terrible for Mikey having horrible parents and also bad for his mom that she was left for a younger woman, he was happy that Mikey was born. He was happy that he had Jack to help him. He was happy that Mikey wanted to live with him despite feeling lonely his whole life. It was selfish, he knew, but he was lonely without Frank as well. Then a thought occurred to him: Frank’s parents. He had to call them. He stopped in his tracks, causing Mikey to stop as well.

“What is it?” Mikey asked.

“I need to call Frank’s parents. I just realized,” he mumbled in response as he pulled his phone out. He looked down at the phone he’d had since his second year with Frank. It was a cheap flip phone, inexpensive, but still worked really well. Mikey walked over to the wall and leaned against it, waiting for Gerard to get the call over with.

It took him a while, but he finally hit call, and waited…. And waited.

“Hello?” His mother answered. Gerard took a deep breath.

“Mrs. Iero. It’s Gerard,” he said. There was a slightly long pause on the other side of the line.

“Did something happen to Frank?” Her voice panicked. Gerard wanted to laugh. They wanted to cut off his respirator, and she’s worried now.

“No. In fact,” his voice shook. It was really weird to say these words, but he still felt the smile slip on his face, “he woke up.” There was another pause before he heard a thud, and screaming. It was almost hysterical, and Gerard had to hold the phone away from his ear.

“We’re on our way!” His mother yelled.

“There’s more to it. So we have to talk before you’re allowed to see him. He’s resting anyways. I’ll see you guys when you get here,” Gerard said before getting an okay and hanging up. He let out a long, exaggerated breath as he looked over at Mikey.

“Sounds like it went well,” Mikey smirked.

“It was easier to say it than I thought it would be,” he laughed. They continued walking for a while, just strolling along the halls of the eerily quiet hospital. Gerard nearly shivered at the thought of the Nurse Ratchet twin appearing, but pushed it away when he realized he hadn’t seen her all day.

“Geraaaaard, I’m huuuungry~!” Mikey whined. Gerard smiled.

“You’re an adult. Go get some food on your own.”

“No, I want you to come with me.”

“Mikey, I need to be here in case Frank wakes up. I don’t want him to be alone.” Mikey remained silent, feeling a bit left out despite Frank barely coming out of his coma. His mind began thinking of different ways Gerard would eventually start cutting his time away from him to spend it with Frank. He was feeling selfish, but it was normal, he knew. He’d spent the last few years with Gerard; the two were inseparable. And, now that Frank was awake, Gerard wouldn’t have time for him anymore and it terrified the younger male. Frank had memories with Gerard that Mikey will never be able to share and it made him feel uncomfortable. More than that, how will he face Frank? Can he hate him? Will Frank hate him especially if he and Gerard are that close? So many thoughts were swirling inside the younger brother’s head. He didn’t even realize that Gerard came out of the restroom, nor did he even realize that he’d gone into the latrine.

“Mikey, are you all right? You’re being pretty quiet?” Gerard asked, as he put his arm around his shoulder.

“Are you saying that I’m normally not?” Mikey asked.

“You talk a lot, but that’s why I love you,” Gerard laughed.=, causing Mikey to pout.

“So, does that mean that Frank talks a lot, too?” Gerard thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“He’s very outgoing and isn’t afraid to talk to new people or start the conversation, but he likes the bonding silence between he and other people,” Gerard explained. Mikey looked in Gerard’s eyes as he spoke, and knew that, no matter how much he doubted in the past or maybe even now, he loved that man sitting in that hospital bed unaware that six years had past. More than that, Gerard didn’t care. He’d basically stopped his life and everything in his future to provide for someone who was asleep.

Just as Mikey opened his mouth, Gerard’s cell rang, echoing loudly throughout the hall, causing both of them to jump. Mikey watched as Gerard fumbled for his phone, quickly answering it as he put it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hello. I’m looking for Gerard Way,” a female voice asked. Gerard was confused, especially since he didn’t recognize the number.

“Yes. This is him.”

“Hello, Mr. Way. How are you doing this evening?”

“I’m doing very well. How about yourself?” He asked unsurely.

“I’m doing great. Thank you for asking. I apologize for calling at such a late hour, but I am very excited to inform you that Dark Horse Comics would like to sign you on for your independent comic Umbrella Academy!” They lady informed him. Gerard’s heart stopped for a moment, before he grabbed Mikey’s arm tightly and tugged on it excitedly.

“Really? That sounds great! I’m very honored!” The lady on the line laughed.

“No, no, we’re very honored. I’m aware that you are in the area, and we would love if you could come down to the office tomorrow so we could go over everything with you personally. What do you say tomorrow around 1 o clock? Right after lunch.”

“That sounds amazing. Thank you so much,” Gerard said as tears collected in his eyes. His dream was coming true.

“You’re very welcome. We’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Way!” She said. Gerard responded before hanging up the phone.

“What’s gotten you so excited you had to nearly dislocate my arm?” Mikey asked, still rubbing his shoulder.

“That was… Dark Horse Comics! They want to sign me, Mikey!” Gerard said bouncing on the balls off his feet. Mikey’s face lit up. He knew it had always been Gerard’s dream to be signed by them specifically. That was a long conversation during one of their movie nights a few years ago.

“That’s great, Gerard!” Mikey yelled happily as he hugged Gerard.

“I’ve gotta tell Fra-…” Gerard paused before letting go of Mikey and giving him a bittersweet smile.

“He doesn’t know I’ve made it this far into the comic. I mean, I suppose I could tell him that they liked what I’ve had so far, but he liked to read them when they published in this independent magazine,” Gerard mumbled. He wasn’t making any sense. Mikey felt bad for his brother. He wanted to share his dream come true with his fiancé, but couldn’t. Until he remembered the magazines he found under Gerard’s bed thinking they were dirty and slightly disappointed when they weren’t.

“Wait, what are those magazines under your bed?” Mikey asked. Gerard broke out in a smile.

“That’s right! I’ve bought every issue of it since Frank stopped so he wouldn’t miss out on it!” Gerard then thought for a moment.

“And I’m not even going to get into how you know about those,” He added, causing Mikey to smile smugly. They walked back to Frank’s room, talking about the small road trip they were going to make tomorrow. Gerard sent Brian a message about Frank being awake and then about his comic book being signed, also adding that he and Mikey wouldn’t make it tomorrow.

“So, like, are we gonna get snacks for the road?” Mikey asked.

“You’re always hungry, aren’t you?” Mikey blushed, hiding his flat stomach.

“Oh, stop. You aren’t even close to fat. And it wouldn’t even be a road trip without junk food,” Gerard added before hugging his younger brother into his side. Mikey was about to answer when they heard a crash coming from Frank’s room. Quicker than Mikey could even turned to look at Gerard, he felt himself being pushed slightly and seeing Gerard run into his fiancé’s room.

“Frank?” Gerard called out as he ran inside. He saw Frank on the ground, the IV on the floor next to him. He rushed over to him, hugging him closely.

“G-Gerard, I can’t move my legs,” Frank said, his voice shaking. He was terrified.

“It’s okay, Frankie. It’s normal. You were asleep for a few weeks, so it’s completely understandable,” Gerard explained. Ray mentioned something like this to him a few months ago. Because he was lying down and in a constant state of not moving, his legs wouldn’t be used to moving. It was he same with his arms, but Gerard could tell Frank that it wasn’t because of how long he was in the coma, but instead tell him that it was because he was tired.

“Gee, Gerard, move away! Move away!” Frank said as he tried pushing Gerard away.

“What’s wrong?” He asked Frank. He kept trying to push Gerard away until he fell onto him, crying. It was then that Gerard felt something soaking through his pants.

“I’m so sorry, Gerard… I-I tried pushing you away. I couldn’t hold it anymore…” Frank mumbled against his chest. Frank had urinated on him. Gerard only hugged him tighter, slightly rocking him back and forth.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m not mad. I love you, okay?”

“I love you, too, Gee,” Frank responded as he looked up at his fiancé. It was then that he noticed the change in Gerard’s face. His face and the look he had in his eyes made him seem more mature. It made Frank feel an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach and tired at the same time.

“All right, Frankie. I’m going to call someone in here. He’s my brother and he and I will explain everything together, okay?”

“You don’t have a brother though.”

“That’s what we’re going to explain. Mikey!!” Gerard called from inside the room. He knew it was probably too soon to introduce them, but he didn’t want to leave Frank here. He need Mikey to help him. The door opened and he and Frank turned to see a nervous looking Mikey standing by the curtain.

“You called?” He asked shyly. Gerard smiled apologetically while Mikey stared hard at him, taking in exactly how much they did and didn’t look alike.

“Come here. Mikey, this is the love of my life, Frank. Frank, this is my brother, Mikey,” he introduced them. Mikey waved.

“Hey, Frank. Gerard always talks about you.” Frank blushed a little, slightly elbowing Gerard playfully.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Mikey, can you go get me a bucket of water and soap and a rag? Don’t ask questions.” Mikey only nodded noticing the puddle around Frank and the wetness on Gerard’s pants. He left the room in a rush.

“When did that happen?” Frank asked as Mikey left.

“It’s been about a week. I’d gotten a new job, and then he started and we trained together. A lot of people, and I mean, a lot, said we looked alike. Even Ray, so he tested us one day. Turns out his dad is mine and I met him, Frankie… I met my real dad…” He explained as he picked up Frank and took him into the restroom in his room. Gerard never liked using it because it was too big and it felt weird. He sat the smaller male on the counter, and thinking about how thankful he was that there wasn’t a mirror in there.

“Hold onto me, okay?” Frank nodded and wrapped his arms around Gerard’s neck. Gerard pulled off the wet hospital gown and tossed it in the trash bin. He then picked Frank up again, smiling at the way his arms felt around him. He sat Frank in the chair installed in the tub to guarantee that he wouldn’t fall. He turned on the water, setting it to a very warm temperature, just the way Frank liked it. He grabbed a rag from under the sink and wet it, putting some soap on it before scrubbing down Frank’s body.

Frank stared at Gerard cleaning his body and suddenly felt small. He couldn’t quite place it, but something was different about him that Frank couldn’t quite place. He body was slimmer, his face and the way he held himself now seemed more mature and adult like. He looked down at Gerard’s hands and noticed how long and slender his fingers were despite them being shorter and a little chunky a few weeks ago. Something was wrong and Frank couldn’t place it and it was making his head hurt.

Gerard scrubbed every inch of Frank’s body. This time was spent in silence, but it was obvious that there was an elephant in the room; he just couldn’t place what it was. He looked up into Frank’s eyes and noticed he seemed to be deep in thought, and it caused him to panic.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked Frank.

“About why you seem so different,” he said quietly. Gerard tensed before laughing it off.

“What are you talking about, dear? Is it the diet thing?” Frank shook his head.

“No, nevermind. It’s nothing. I guess I’m just tired. My head hurts a little bit,” Frank said, laughing nervously. Gerard washed him off before getting a towel and wrapping him up. He turned the heat in the restroom up after noticing how much Frank was shivering.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” He kissed his forehead before Frank nodded to him. He left the restroom and Frank stared at the wet areas in his pants, guessing that he was going to change. He snuggled more into the fluffy white towel Gerard wrapped around him and sighed contently about how warm him was. He slumped down in his chair, letting his eyes close.

Gerard walked out of the restroom and was greeted with Mikey and Frank’s parents. He panicked about the little mess Frank made, but found that the curtain was pulled just enough to shield it from his parents, causing him to relax. He shot Mikey a grateful smile before focusing on his mother, who began talking.

“Gerard! Is he in there? Oh, I need to see him,” his mother said as she attempted to move past Gerard.

“Wait. He’s getting dried off. Before I allow you to see him-“ his father interrupted him.

“Allow us?” His father said defensively.

“Yes. Since you both were so focused on killing him a couple of years ago, I’m allowing you to see him. I didn’t have to call you here. I could’ve just let you continue on thinking he was still asleep. So shut up and let me finish.” He always got so angry dealing with Frank’s parents that he saw that as scum.

“Anyway, like I was saying, his doctor informed me that he has what’s called anterograde amnesia. He doesn’t know that it’s been six years. He remembers that he and I are engaged, and that he was in an accident, but nothing else. Since there’s such a huge time gap, if he were too try and take in more information than he could handle all at once, there will be a huge chance of him slipping into a coma again. So, if I decide to let you see him more after this, you can’t say anything about what’s happened in the world and your little lives since he’s been asleep,” he explained.

“Let me get him dressed and put him back in bed. Also, he can’t walk, but don’t bring it up. He was really upset.” They nodded and he put his hand back on the door to walk back in, but before he did so, he murmured, “assholes.” Mikey snorted a laugh before covering his mouth and turning to look away when they glared at him.

“Frank?” Gerard asked as he walked inside. He noticed the smile on his face as he was snuggled into the oversized towel. He was asleep, Gerard concluded. He smiled and pulled out another clean hospital gown from under the sink and put it over Frank’s figure after removing the towel and holding him steady in his arms. After he was all settled in, Gerard picked him up and opened the door with the smuggest look in his face.

His parents were going to have to wait. This thought caused him to chuckle.


	13. Christmas Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Frank exclaimed as he shook Gerard by his arm, waking up the exhausted male beside him. Gerard had slept in the hospital bed with Frank.

"What is it, my dear Frankie?" He asked sarcastically, obviously not too happy about being woken up at, he looked at his watch, six in the morning. He'd taken off a couple of weeks from work to care for Frank and had been spoiled by Frank letting him sleep in by turning off his alarm.

"It's Christmas, baby! Here's your gift!" Frank responded as he shoved a sloppily wrapped box into him. Gerard smiled down at his wrapping. He knew Frank tried hard to wrap this for him, and he loved it too much to tear it.

"Sweetie, how did you get this?" He questioned. Frank hadn't been able to walk since he woke up a little over a month ago. He still wasn't feeling well enough to start his rehabilitation, much to Frank's dismay. He was ready to get up and start learning how to walk again, but Ray wanted him to rest more. Speaking of the doctor, he and Frank had really hit it off. They spent a lot of their time discussing technical music stuff that Gerard struggled to understand, so he mainly tuned them out.

"Ray is pretty awesome, in case you haven't noticed," he giggled, causing Gerard to almost squeal in delight. He loved hearing Frank talk, laugh, giggle, make weird dying noises, and his moaning made him want to melt. Yes, a few weeks after Frank woke up, Gerard couldn't deny the want much longer and Frank ended up having a trail of bruises running from his sharp jawline to his bird tattoos on his lower stomach. He refrained from going further because it was too soon for the both of them. Although Frank hadn't a single clue, Gerard almost needed time to want him in such a way anymore. It wasn't that he didn't, he just couldn't stop thinking his fiance wasn't in a coma. He killed the want, because he saw it as sick to want him as he was unresponsive.

"I've noticed. I would like to open it, but I don't want to ruin this pretty wrapping, so I don't think I can," he laughed.

"Gerard, we've been together for six years now! You've kept every wrapping of every girft I've ever wrapped for you," Frank blushed. Gerard felt his heart freeze. It had been 11 years that they were together, but Frank had missed out on five years of it. And he could never get those years back, no matter how much Gerard thought he could try.

"Y-yeah, baby, but I wanna keep that tradition," he forced a laugh. Frank seemed to notice, but didn't bring it up. He was thankful. He carefully peeled off the tape and opened it without tearing the wrapping paper. He opened the box and came face to face with a scrapbook full of pictures if them throughout the years. But not all of them, he thought. He needed to stop being depressing.

"I love it, Frankie!" He said as he gave him a tender kiss, trying to force those lost years into his head.

But it wouldn't happen. All he could do was wait, and he knew he would wait his entire life for Frank.

"Merry Christmas, Gerard. I love you so much," Frank whispered against his lips, causing Gerard to kiss him harder.


	14. Rehabilitation

Gerard watched from the sidelines as Frank tried to push one foot to pass the other. His fiancé had started rehabilitation a little over a week ago after having to be wheeled around everywhere for a month before being able to do so. Sweat glistened off of Frank’s forehead and his panting became louder and louder as he grew more tired, but Gerard knew he’d keep going until he collapsed from exhaustion. He still had no idea that it had been five years and it was becoming very difficult to hide the truth from him. Gerard felt very guilty every time he avoided the question of what the day was. Frank was asking more questions and becoming visibly more uneasy. He started looking at his body more and realizing the small changes that he been done to him with time. He snapped out of his thoughts when Frank lost his balance. He quickly ran over and caught him, holding him tightly and stroking his sweat filled hair.

“That’s enough for today. Please, whenever he’s ready, escort him back to his room for rest. He did very well today, but I’m sad to say that he’s a little behind on what we had expected from him by this time. At this rate, the time he’d be discharged is next year,” the nurse spoke. Her voice sounded a little too curt for him. He gave the woman a hard look.

“Listen, lady, he works himself to passing out every day for this. If you have a problem with how slow his progress is, then you try switching places with him and working as hard as he does. See if it’s easy,” he snapped. The nurse slightly glared at him before nodding and leaving the facility. He picked up the love of his life and sat him in his wheelchair.

“Gerard, you didn’t have to be so rude to her,” Frank groaned as he opened his eyes. His sudden sentence took Gerard by surprise.

“She had no right to say that you basically weren’t trying hard enough,” he argued. He pushed Frank out of the facility and started their way back to Frank’s room.

“But she’s right. I need to push myself hard. So that’s what I’ll do tomorrow and then I’ll even have you help me whenever you’re not at work.” Although Gerard wanted to argue more, he chose not to say anything. Frank just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, and he wanted that just as much. He’d do anything to help him. After helping Frank into his bed, he tucked in the smaller male and lowered the bed.

“Get some sleep, okay? It’s almost four, so I need to head into work,” he explained. Frank nodded and turned over, putting his back toward Gerard. This caused the older male to sigh sadly, lean over and kiss his forehead, and walk out the door after turning the lights off. He stood outside of the door and leaned against it, putting his head in his hands.

“Gerard? Everything okay?” He recognized Ray’s voice. He looked over at the wild haired doctor and gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, it’s just,” he sighed, “Frank is starting to, like, question time and it’s getting harder and harder to avoid telling him the truth.”

“I know. He’s attempted to ask me things whenever you’re gone. He claims that you’re lying to him and hiding something. His first guess was that you were cheating, honestly, but then he seemed to think the thought itself was completely idiotic,” the doctor chuckled. Gerard’s mind instinctively wandered to Mikey. He visited with Gerard often and he and Frank had taken a liking to each other much to Gerard’s relief. He was afraid that Mikey’s poker face would anger Frank, but he assumed that Frank must have tried because he was Gerard’s brother.

“When do you think it’ll be safe to tell him?” He asked after a short moment of silence.

“Well, that’s the problem. I don’t know how he’ll react. We could try to ease our way into it by maybe showing him a new movie or a magazine or something, but then his brain may go haywire and go into overdrive by questioning everything,” he sighed. “So I’m not really sure. It’s been two months and I’m not sure how things will play out personally for you both.” Gerard nodded in understanding. There was nothing he could do, so he’d have to let things go as they will.

“I gotta head to work. You’ll call if anything happens, yeah?” Ray nodded and Gerard went off on his way. Frank lay in his bed, staring out of the window. He oddly didn’t feel sleepy, but felt like he was trying to remember something that was on the tip of his tongue. He sat up and searched his brain.

“ _Frank, Morrisey won’t stop barking. I think he misses you, so come over,”  whined over the phone. He heard their beloved dog crying and his heart clenched._

_“Aww, he misses me! I’ll be on my way, okay?” He said as he put his jacket on and slipped into his shoes._

_“Awesome. We’ll be waiting for you, babe,” Gerard answered before saying bye and hanging up._

“Where’s Morrisey?” He asked himself aloud. Gerard hadn’t brought him up once and he barely spent any time at home since he was always either at work or at the hospital, claiming that Mikey could handle things on his own for a while. But whenever Mikey was here with him, which was often, who was taking care of their baby? He’d ask him whenever Gerard came back. He looked at the clock on the wall. He wouldn’t be out for a long while, but he could sleep until then. He laid back down and snuggled up into the blankets, letting out a sigh of relief.

He knew Gerard could tell something was wrong. They’d been together long enough to read each other like a book. His head started hurting so much that it was almost unbearable. He pressed the call button above his bed and waited for a nurse to come in.

“Mr. Iero?” A nurse walked in. Oh. It was the nurse that made Gerard uncomfortable. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he did. Like Gerard might have told him, but he forgot. She was very pretty and held a sort of resemblance to his fiancé, but she had an off atmosphere about her. He didn’t like whenever she was in the room either. She felt cold.

“Call my doctor in here, please,” he requested. He heard the door close and became thankful she didn’t move any closer. After a few moments, Ray came in.

“Everything okay, Frank?” He asked. Frank shrugged his shoulders.

“My head hurts, Ray. I feel like everything is off. Like people are constantly lying to me,” he explained.

“Frank, please, no one is lying to you, okay? Everything is fine,” Ray assured.

“No! Everyone is lying to me! No one will tell me the day or the year! Tell me, Ray, what is today’s date?!” He yelled. Ray hesitated.

“Here, do you want me to call Gerard? I can call him and he’ll be right over. He works just down the street, okay? I’ll give him a call,” he stated calmly.

“No! Fuck Gerard! He’s not going to tell me the fucking truth!” He screamed. Ray scrambled for his phone and quickly dialed Gerard’s number.

“If you only knew each other for two weeks, then how do you know each other so well?!” Frank growled.

“Gerard, get back over here now! Frank is… He’s losing it. He’s questioning everything. We’ve gotta tell him,” Ray said. After a few words exchanged, he hung up and waited patiently for Gerard to come back.

“Tell me what?” Frank questioned once more.

“We’re waiting for Gerard,” was all he said.


	15. Five Fucking Years!? (Or Frank’s Reaction)

After receiving the call from Ray, Gerard immediately phoned Brian and explained to him the situation. Although Brian was unhappy about Gerard missing another shift, he couldn’t fire him, because he knew how to get the job done when he was there. But having to drop a lot of shifts for Frank was starting to show on his paycheck and he was beginning to struggle with bills here and there. His mother helped him out when he absolutely needed it, but otherwise refused to take her money. Frank’s parents had also been no help in his medical bills either, leaving it all to Gerard. And even though Mikey had to pay most of the rent these past few months, he was just happy to take some stress off of his older brother, who seemed to be slipping into his depression once more. Gerard depressed was the very last thing he wanted.

He arrived at the hospital and quickly ran up to Ray, who was standing in front of Frank’s room.

“Ray, what happened?” He asked, frantic. He’d been dreading this day. He wasn’t sure how Frank would react and he wished he never had to know.

“The nurse called me in. He wanted to see me. It turns out that he’s convinced we’re all lying to him. He wants to know the year,” the doctor explained. Gerard calmed his speeding heart, taking deep breaths, before opening Frank’s door and stepping inside. Loud, heartbreaking sobs of Frank’s slammed against his ears, making his newfound confidence cower away, but he willed his feet to his fiancé and they cooperated. Frank glared up at him with swollen, red teary eyes, clearly angered by the situation. Gerard took a seat on the edge of the bed and the two stared at one another for a few moments. Just as Frank were about to speak, Gerard beat him to it.

“You’re curious about the date?” He asked calmly.

“Yes. Now tell me. I deserve to know!” Frank yelled. Gerard stared at him one more briefly before sighing, realizing there was no last minute excuse he could use to delay telling the love of his life the truth.

“I won’t tell you the date, but-“ Frank cut him off.

“Why not?! Tell me or-“ Gerard raised his finger to his own mouth, demanding Frank to be silent.

“But,” Gerard continued, “I will tell you how long we’ve together. We’ll take it from there.” Frank was tense, afraid of the information Gerard was about to share. Taking a deep breath, Gerard knew he should just come right out and say it.

“Tell me,” Frank demanded.

“We’ve been together for eleven years, Frank, in total.” Gerard said, holding himself back from spilling his heart out and holding a breath, yet feeling a weight lifted off of his shoulders. For the past three and a half months, he’d been dying to tell Frank, but he was afraid of the outcome. What would Frank’s reaction be? He’d soon find out. The taller man watched as his fiancé worked out the math.

“Five…Five fucking years?!” He screamed. Gerard flinched, but let his breath go.

“Yes,” he answered. Frank’s breathing became more shallowed, and Gerard watched as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell to the side. Gerard lunged forward and caught him before he fell from the bed.

“F-Frank?!” He stuttered out, but got no response. He repeatedly pressed the nurse’s button, calling for help. In almost no time at all, nurses and Ray piled into the room. They quickly pulled Gerard away from Frank and got to work in seeing what was wrong. Gerard leaned against the wall opposite of Frank’s bed, holding his head in his hands and willing the sobs to subside, but they didn’t. He cried and cried until he felt a pair of arms around him, startling him. He raised his head to see his younger brother holding him tightly.

“Mikey?”

“Brian told me. He’s going to be okay, Gerard,” he assured him. He was about to turn his head to look at Frank, but Mikey blocked his view of him by turning them around.

“Don’t look.” Was all he said. Gerard didn’t question why. He was thankful. The first time Frank was hurt, Gerard himself wasn’t awake to see, but this time he was. He shut his eyes tight and buried his face in the crook of Mikey’s neck, his tears staining his brother’s skin. Staining him with all of his pain. Ray’s voice interrupted Gerard’s moment of weakness and he found himself scared to know what’s happened.

“He’s fine. As expected, the information was too much for his brain to handle. As a result, it has started repairing itself once again.” After the information sunk in, Gerard whipped his head towards Ray.

“A coma?” He whispered. Ray nodded his head, almost dejectedly.

“I-I don’t even know how to react,” he mumbled, feeling himself become bubbled with anger, but succeeded in keeping it down and hidden from the others. He was angry with Frank. Angry that he could do this to him once again. He was in pain, too. He wanted rest, too. He needed it. But he couldn’t do that. Not when it was his fault. Even if it wasn’t his fault, because he loved Frank with all of his being and a coma (or two) wouldn’t change that. It never could. Gerard would, as obvious as it’s become, spend the rest of his life waiting for Frank. He liked to think his waiting would be like that episode of Futurama with Fry’s dog Seymour (?) waiting for him for that long in the same spot. That would be Gerard, because Frank is the love of his life.

“We’ll just have to wait it out again,” he sighed.

“Are you okay, Gerard?” His brother asked. He nodded, wiping away the tears and straightening himself up.

“I’m fine. Go back to work, Mikey; I’ll be fine here,” he told him. Mikey seemed to hesitate.

“I’m serious, Mikey. I’ll be at work tomorrow and work a double to make up for my missed hours today. Tell Brian. I love you.” Then he kissed him. After finally complying with Gerard, Mikey left the hospital with his mind on the kiss his brother gave him. It didn’t feel like reassurance. It felt like Gerard was broken into a billion little pieces that he didn’t know who he was anymore. It felt like his heart was broken.


	16. End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is still an epilogue <3

A week. It had been a week since Gerard had seen Frank in the hospital. He was either at work making up hours, or at home spending some time with his brother. It wasn’t that he didn’t wanted to see him, he just decided that he would only see him once a week so he wouldn’t get stressed out again. He was trying to take care of himself. Besides, he argued with himself, he’d be seeing Frank tomorrow.

“Hey, Gerard, what do you wanna do tomorrow?” Mikey asked him as they settled into bed that night.

“I’m going to visit Frank. You’re more than welcome to tag along,” he offered. Mikey laughed softly.

“And watch you undress him with your eyes? No, thanks. But have fun,” he teased his older brother. This caused him to chuckle and pull Mikey closer to his body. “

I love you, Mikey,” Gerard laughed, leaning over and kissing his cheek before returning to his normal position and letting himself drift off to sleep.

“I love you, too, Gee,” he heard Mikey respond just before he was gone. That night he dreamt of Frank. He found himself sitting in their café together just as they used to. They were older in the dream, yet still smiling and happy. He found himself yearning more and more for when that day came. Once again, it was up to his fiancé and he just hoped he didn’t take another five years this time. He awoke fifteen minutes before his alarm was set to go off, six-thirty in the morning, and dragged himself out of bed. He felt oddly ecstatic today and even though he wondered why, he wasn’t going to complain. He jumped into the shower and quickly washed his hair and body before getting out to get ready. He gave Mikey a kiss on the jaw before leaving the apartment and practically skipping to his car. Faster than he could even blink, he found himself greeting Ray and stepping into Frank’s room.

“Hey, there, Frankie Baby. Did you miss me?” He paused as if Frank were going to answer, but then continued. “I missed you, too, but I had to make up some hours at work and be a big bro to Mikey.” He approached his bed and sat down in the chair next to it, taking ahold of his hand. He let out a deep sigh.

“Mr. Way?” A voice spoke. He turned his head in the direction of the door, where the voice was coming from. It was Nurse Jamia. His heart rate quickened. “Oh, hello,” he greeted, trying to sound normal. She gave him a smile.

“Hi. I haven’t seen you here all week. Been too busy for Frank here?” She asked sweetly, but a dark tone to her voice stated otherwise. He glared at her ever so slightly.

“I was working and spending time with Mikey,” he said, giving her his reason. She nodded at him once more before smiling over at Frank’s comatose figure.

“It’s a shame, really,” she began. Gerard raised his brow at her, waiting for her to elaborate on her meaning. “You’re here all the time and you’re working so hard to keep him well taken care of. I can’t help but think that you deserve better,” she cooed at Gerard, turning her full attention on him. Her words made him slightly shiver.

“Is that so?” He said blankly. He watched as she nodded her head. “Nurse Jamia, look, I’m flattered at your words and everything, but Frank is my one and only. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your peculiar behavior towards me. I just wanted to give you a chance to stop before I report your manners to Ray and have him remove you from this wing,” he warned, giving her a sharp look, almost daring her to go against him. She gave him a small giggle, and Gerard suddenly found himself as the leading role in a horror movie.

“Gerard, if I may call you that, I don’t plan on being removed. I’ve only stated that you deserve someone who will live in the present with you. Someone who isn’t as much of a burden as Frank is. Aren’t you exhausted, dear? Working endlessly and into the ground only for Frank to have not woken up for yet another day?” Gerard’s glare hardened.

“I don’t know where you get off on saying all of this to me, but I’ll politely ask you to stop. Sure, I’m tired, but so what? I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone, and if you can’t see that then maybe you’re just blind to that emotion,” he scorned. “Please, take your leave and don’t return.”

“Have a good day, Gerard.” Then she turned and left, not at all fazed with his words. He sighed, putting his face in his hands to recompose himself. Soon after, he returned his hand to Frank and squeezed it softly.

“Oh, Frankie, please wake up. It’s your birthday soon. Six months, sweetheart,” he whispered softly. Six months seemed like such a short time, because it’s always passed by in a breeze. He sighed softly. The warmth of the sun emitting from the open window in Frank’s room lulled him to sleep. Just before he was about to succumb to a perfect world, he felt a slight pressure engulf his hand. He quickly bolted upright, looking at Frank to see his eyes struggling to open.

“Frank? Frank!” He nearly cheered, getting to his feet. Once again, those beautiful hazel eyes came into his view and he felt his eyes well up with tears of happiness.

“Gerard?” His voice croaked out.

“I’m here, sweetie. I’m right here,” Gerard assure, stroking his cheek lovingly. Frank’s eyes focused on him and he gave Gerard a soft smile before frowning.

“It’s been five years. Why are you still here, Gee?” He asked, his voice finding its strength along the way. Gerard gave a small laugh, glad that he took the information better than he originally had.

“Frank, I’d never leave you. From day one, I knew I was going to love you and you only. These past five years have not changed that. No amount of time could ever.”

“I have a lot of things to catch up on, don’t I?” He asked, slowly finding the will to sit up, with the help of Gerard, of course, who nodded.

“We’ll do it together.” Frank smiled. “So what’s new in your life, Gee? Aside from the best friend doctor, the new brother, and a crazy nurse,” he laughed. Gerard gave a slight frown at the mention of the nurse.

“How did you know about that?” Gerard asked. Frank scratched his head, seeming to be in thought before shrugging.

“I heard bits and pieces of things you’ve been telling me for the past few years, and she was just in here. Like, I was awake, but I couldn’t move my body yet. She was right, though, Gerard. You do deserve better.” Gerard gave him a scolding look and took ahold of his hand, gripping it tightly.

“Did you only listen to what she said or did you hear my words, too? Frank, you’re my life. And if these five years haven’t proved that to you, then I’ll have to think of something else,” he explained. Frank smiled and pulled Gerard’s hand up to his mouth and kissed it. Gerard blushed at his fiancé’s affections.

“Hey, Gee?”

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t you going to kiss me?” Frank asked, raising his brow. Gerard giggled and leaned down, pressing his lips against Frank’s.

“All right, baby, I’ve gotta call Ray and have him do a checkup, make sure everything’s okay. I’ll be right back,” he said as he kissed his forehead and gave him a smile before leaving the room in search of his doctor. On the way to his office, Gerard pulled out his phone and called Mikey.

“Hello?” He answered groggily on the fifth ring.

“Frank’s woken up. He’s aware of the time and he seems to be taking it well. I just wanted to let you know,” Gerard explained. He felt so happy, he just wanted to bounce off of the walls and sing Don’t You Forget About Me at the top of his lungs.

“Go back to sleep and maybe stop by later if you’re up to it.” Mikey grumbled something he couldn’t make sense of before hanging up the phone. He chuckled and pocketed his phone before knocking on Ray’s office door.

“Come in,” he said. Gerard opened the door and beamed at Frank.

“What’s up, Gerard?”

“Frank’s awake,” he said, his smiled growing wider if that were even possible.

“I’ll go have a look then. You seem so calm,” he noticed. Gerard shrugged.

“He knows it’s been five years and is coping better with it this time. I’m hoping after his rehabilitation, he’ll be able to walk out of here soon and we’ll be able to leave his hospital behind and move on. I’m more content.” Ray nodded along, smiling at how relaxed Gerard seemed. Something he’d never seen come from him. Even when Frank woke up for the first time, he was constantly on edge about Frank asking him about the date. He’d never seen Gerard quite calm before and, so far, he hoped it continued. They made it back to Frank’s room quicker than it’d taken Gerard to get to Ray’s office. Ray all but laughed as he witnessed Gerard skipping into the room, back to the love of his life.

“Hey, Frank. How are you feeling?” Ray asked as he checked his heartbeat, his breathing, his temperature, and blood pressure.

“Like I wanna go home and cuddle with Gerard,” he answered, causing Gerard’s face to heat up. Ray laughed.

“Yeah, that seems about right. Okay, I want to do a quick test. But only if you have the energy to do it. If not, then we can wait a few days.”

“What test?” Gerard and Frank asked in unison.

“I want to take him to the rehabilitation center to see where he stands with walking. Only then can I give an estimate on his time of discharge. Like I said, only if you have enough energy to do so.” Frank nodded eagerly and tossed his blankets off of him. Ray wheeled up the wheelchair kept in the corner of the room up to his bedside and waited as Gerard picked Frank up and sat him in the chair. All three men made their way to the rehabilitation center, Frank holding Gerard’s hand as they walked. The scene was touching to Ray, who’d never seen the men truly happy. He’d seen them angry, distracted, unsettled, and hurt, but they were content with their life right now. Ray knew that Gerard understood that he would have to return to work tomorrow and Frank would eventually let himself fall asleep for the day. But that didn’t matter, because, to them, Frank would be walking soon and maybe Gerard would take him away for a vacation. They made it to the rehabilitation center in silence.

“Okay, Frank, remember: if you can’t do it today, there’s always tomorrow,” Ray reassured the nervous looking man, who only have him a nod in return. Gerard helped Frank stand. He stood wobbly, but held onto Gerard for the support to stay upright. They walked over to one of the balance beams and Ray stood beside Frank on his left side while Gerard on his right.

“One step at a time, baby. You can do this,” Gerard rooted for him. Frank willed his body to push his left leg forward, and after much concentration, it did. He did the same with his right leg. He could only take five steps before he was panting and drenched in sweat.

“That’s enough for today, Frank. I’ll schedule your sessions with Gerard later this evening,” Ray smiled at him. Frank raised his brow.

“Why can’t I schedule them?” He asked, slightly offended that Ray assumed Gerard to be in his control. Ray’s smile faltered and he took a deep breath. “

No offense, Frank, but he’s been doing a very good job at taking care of you these past five years. I assumed-” Gerard interrupted him.

“Ray, it’s okay. Let Frank do it. He wants to be independent, he always has been. I’m just here to support him.” Frank smiled at his fiancé and kissed his cheek. Ray chuckled at the couple and nodded his head.

“All right. I trust Frank to you from now. I’ve got to go make my rounds. I’ll be back later today, okay, Frank?” Frank nodded and the two watched as he walked out of the center. Gerard picked up Frank and sat him in his wheelchair.

“Are you feeling tired, Frankie?” he asked as he wheeled him out of the center.

“Not really.” Gerard glanced at his watch. It was nine in the morning. He had enough time to spend with him before work.

“Would you like me to take you outside to walk around?” He asked Frank.

“Yes! I wanna see if anything’s changed!” Frank exclaimed excitedly. Gerard smiled at Frank’s normal behavior and started wheeling him in the direction of the door that leads out into the courtyard. “Babe, do you have work today?” Frank asked.

“Yeah. I have work at four. I’m closing tonight, but if I can find someone to take my closing shift, then I’ll be back here by eleven.”

“What’s your job? Tell me all about it.” Gerard’s smile widened in excitement.

“It’s amazing! I started working there a few months after you were admitted and, since then, I’ve become a manager. Even though we’re not really supposed to work a movie, Brian, my manager, lets me. I owe him a lot. Around almost a year there, I met Mikey and taught him how to wait a theater. A few months after that, I discovered he was my brother. I cannot tell you how glad I am to have found him. I felt like I was losing myself a bit, but he helped me. He lives with me now because our piece of shit father kicked him out when I went over to the house one day,” Gerard explained as they walked along the sidewalk made for residents in wheelchairs.

“You met your real dad?” Frank asked softly. Gerard was shocked, because he knew he’d told Frank about that the first night we first woke up. It seems, he thought, that he doesn’t remember everything.

“Yeah. We looked a lot alike and I couldn’t help but feel so disgusted with my own face,” he answered.

“Tell me more about Mikey.”

“He’s such a smart kid, Frankie. He’s so supportive and sweet. He takes really good care of his friends and everyone he loves. He’s a hard worker and lover of movies just as much as I am. That’s what our bonding time usually consists of,” Gerard chuckles. Frank smiled at Gerard pride over how well his brother turned out after growing up with his father.

“Hey, you used to do comics. What ever happened to those?” Frank asked. Gerard squealed in excitement.

“They’re being published by Dark Horse comics! The first time you woke up, I got a call that same morning and was told the good news. Later that day, Mikey and I were to their main office and I sat down with the director. The published them in book form a few weeks ago!” Gerard informed the younger man.

“Baby, that’s amazing!” Frank beamed, proud of his fiancé. Suddenly, a small part of him felt sad. He missed so many new things that happened to Gerard that he felt like almost a new person, but he shook the feeling away and looked out at the city before them. A few buildings that hadn’t been there before were suddenly towered in the sky, the streets looked more filled with more vehicles than it used to be and the streets crowded with more pedestrians.

“It hasn’t really changed much, but it’s become a lot more crowded.” Frank didn’t responded, and only kept staring out into the city he grew up in.

“So tell me more about work?” Frank said.

“All of my co-workers are amazing and really care about me. At my other job-”

“Other job?” Frank interrupted.

“Yeah. I have two. It’s a restaurant. Like a regular diner, not like the theater.” Gerard continued pushing Frank along the trailer.

“Why do you have two?”

“Well, in the beginning, I struggled a lot with making the payments on the hospital room and other bills. Now, I don’t really need it, but I would hate to leave them behind.” Frank sighed, letting his head hang lowly.

“Why didn’t you just leave me behind?” He asked, tears filling up his eyes. Gerard slowly came to a stop in the middle of the trail and they stayed in silence for a little while. Gerard walked around and kneeled in front of the love of his life. He lifted Frank’s head up by his chin.

“Do you really have to ask me that?” Gerard stated. Frank let the tears fall and sobbed into the other man’s shoulder after launching himself into his arms.

“I love you, Gerard. I love you so fucking much, and I’m so happy you didn’t abandon me. I just want to get better and we can leave this place. We can start over and have our wedding and start our lives together,” he cried. Gerard’s eyes filled with tears, too. “We can get a couple of dogs, and then maybe adopt our own children. Gerard, I promise you that we will be happy. You won’t have to push yourself so hard anymore. I can take some of the weight off of your shoulders so you can rest,” Frank sobbed. Gerard found himself sighing in relief. These past five years, that’s all he wanted. Rest.

“Frankie, after you’re better, let’s move away from here. Let’s go find another home and settle there. We can leave all the bad memories of this place behind,” Gerard suggested. He’d been thinking about this for a while. For the past year and a half, he’d been setting aside a little money to move away once Frank woke up. Soon, he could afford a home in a small town just a couple of hours away that he and Mikey passed on the way to Dark Horses’ main office.

“I thought you loved your jobs and the people here?” Frank asked, wiping the tear from Gerard’s cheeks as Gerard did the same to him.

“I do. I love all that I’ve come to know. But compared to you, they mean nothing.”

“What about Mikey?” Gerard froze at the mention of his brother. He hadn’t really thought about that.

“He can come with us and stay until he finds something he wants to do and somewhere he wants to go,” Gerard said.

“Then okay. Let’s do it, Gerard. Let’s get out of here when I’m better. I love you so much,” Frank smiled, kissing the other man deeply. They kissed passionately for a few moments before separating. Gerard smiled, feeling happier than he’d felt in so long. He’d mention his plan to Mikey some time later. As they were walking back toward the building, they ran into Nurse Jamia.

“Oh, Frank, you’re awake! How lovely to meet you,” she said, giving him a tight smile and holding her hand out for him to shake it. Frank returned the smile and shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you, too. You’re the nurse that likes Gerard, right?” He asked her bluntly. She seemed surprised and opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Gerard said nothing, still feeling awkward in her presence.

“I’d like to take this opportunity, since this is the last time we will ever be seeing you, to tell you to kindly fuck off. Gerard is going to be my husband, so go on. Shoo,” Frank said, smiling and waving her off with his hands. The nurse gave him a glare.

"Well, I never,” she hissed. Frank laughed.

“Well, now you have,” he turned to look at Gerard who had a smirk on his face, “let’s go, Gee. I’m getting sleepy. We can take a nap on my bed.” Gerard nodded and they pushed past the nurse, walking inside.

“She has creepy eyes, babe. How the hell did you put up with that for so long?” Frank asked as they made their way down the hall to his room. Gerard shrugged.

“I tried not to look. I’ll tell Ray about everything and he’ll do something about it.”

“That’s good. Because you’re mine. I have five years to make up, so expect me to tape myself to you,” Frank said. Gerard chuckled and shook his head at Frank’s words. He certainly missed everything about his fiancé and he was glad everything was okay now.

Three Months Later

“Ready to go home, Frankie?” Frank turned and looked at Gerard, a huge smile on his face.

“Fuck yes. I was getting really tired of being stuck in here! Let’s go!” Frank said excitedly, walking over to Gerard with a slight limp and taking his hand. After three months and many hours a day at the rehabilitation center, Frank could walk almost perfectly again. Because of the accident, though, irreversible damage was done to his hip and he would have that limp for the rest of his life. Neither men could honestly care less, because he was alive and that was all that mattered.

“I’m taking all of us out for dinner. I’ll tell Mikey about us moving away soon. He’s been home less and less these days, but he never tells me why,” Gerard pouted.

“Baby, he’s, like, twenty. He doesn’t have to tell you if he doesn’t want to,” Frank said as they walked out of his hospital room.

“I know. I know, but still, I worry.” And it was true. As they walked away from Frank’s hospital room, Gerard was glad that he was walking away from this place for the last time. After five years, they were finally leaving. Both of them together, not just him. He couldn’t help the smile that made its way onto his face or the giggle that came out afterwards.

“What’s so funny?” Frank asked, smiling at his devotee’s behavior.

“I’m just so happy to be getting out of there, too, Frankie.” Frank let his smile falter a little.

"You’ve really been through a lot haven’t you?” He asked, squeezing Gerard’s hand tighter. He hadn’t asked him this question during the time he’s been awake because he was too afraid to hear the answer.

“I would do it all over again and for the rest of my life for you, dear,” Gerard smiled over at him.

“How hard was it, Gerard?” Gerard opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around both of the men.

"I’m really going to miss you guys. You have to come back and visit sometime!” Ray said, tears filling his eyes. He’d always been an emotional doctor.

"No offense, man, but we don’t really wanna come back,” Frank laughed, punching the taller male on his shoulder lightly. Gerard let go of Frank’s hand and took the other man into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you so much for everything, Ray. You’ve done so much, and you are, by far, the world’s best doctor,” Gerard whispered softly in his ear. His words warmed the doctor’s heart, and he remembered why it was that he even became a doctor in the first place. For moments like this. The two men separated and wiped their eyes.

“See you,” Ray said softly. The two men waved and Ray watched as the two men walked out of the door hand in hand before turning away and making his rounds. He knew, undoubtedly, that they would do anything for one another. Gerard has proven that for almost six years now, and after getting to know Frank and seeing the way he looks at Gerard, he was positive that Frank would have done the same thing for him.

“So are you going to show me pictures of the home you’ve rented for us?” Frank asked impatiently, bouncing in his spot from the passenger’s seat. Gerard opened the glove compartment and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Frank before starting the car. Frank slowly opened it and took the pictures out. It was a small cabin looking home in a forest. The trees were tall and provided plenty of shade over their home. Its porch seemed to wrap around the entire house and Frank smiled because he told Gerard many years ago that he always wanted that.

“It’s beautiful, Gerard.”

“Only the best for you, Frankie,” Gerard smiled, careful not to take his eyes off of the road. It was then that Frank realized that they were inside of a car and that the last time he was in one, it didn’t work out too well.

“Ger-Gerard, I’m scared. I can’t do this. Let me out!” Frank practically yelled as his body froze. Gerard quickly pulled over on the side of the highway, putting his emergency lights on. Frank quickly got out of the car and backed away from it. Hearing all of the cars at once and the constant honking, his heart began beating faster and his breathing became heavier.

“Frank! Frank, it’s okay. I promise you that nothing bad is ever going to happen to you again,” Gerard assured him as he wrapped his arms around the hyperventilating man. Gerard couldn’t say anymore because Frank suddenly went limp in his arms. He sighed softly. He should’ve known Frank wasn’t going to be able to adapt so quickly. He was an idiot, he thought. He lifted Frank up and sat him back down in the passenger’s seat. He buckled him in good and closed the door as he made his way back to his side. On the drive back to their old apartment, Gerard drove five miles under the speed limit, extremely careful with Frank in the car with him.

“Mikey, can you open the door? Frank passed out!” He yelled through the door. A few minutes later, the door opened and Mikey stepped aside.

“What happened?” He asked as Gerard laid Frank down on the couch. He closed the door and walked closer to the couple.

“We were in the car and he started freaking out. I was trying to be extra careful while driving, but he started hyperventilating and made me pull over. He passed out on the side of the road. We’ll let him rest. I’ve gotta talk to you, Mikey,” he said as he turned to his brother.

“What is it, Gerard? Is it bad?” He asked nervously. Gerard smiled and shook his head.

“No. Nothing bad. I put in my two weeks at work. I want us to move out of here into a home that I rented a couple of hours away.” Mikey stared at him in shock.

“Gerard, I-I can’t leave,” he whispered. Gerard smile fell.

“Why?”

“I have a girlfriend here, Gerard. We’ve been dating for almost two years next month. We’ve been getting really serious,” he explained, avoiding eye-contact with his older brother.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Gerard asked, his voice low.

“You were so busy at work and then taking care of Frank, and then trying to spend more time with me that I just didn’t want you to worry about it.” They stayed silent for a moment before Mikey began to speak again.

"You and Frank move. Kristin and I were talking about moving in together, but I didn’t know how to bring it up to you. I love you, Gerard. That hasn’t changed,” he said as he hugged Gerard.

"A small part of me will always be in love with you, Gerard,” Mikey whispered into his ear. The two hugged for a while before pulling away. Mikey slowly placed a kiss on Gerard’s lips and smiled happily at him. Gerard almost teared up at how suddenly grown up Mikey looked. He’d been through a lot and Gerard knew that his depression and constant stress didn’t help, but he was proud of his brother for putting his arm around him and helping him walk when he couldn’t do it himself. If this Kristin girl made his brother happy, even if he felt that Mikey was too good for anyone, then he’d let him go. He trusted Mikey to be able to make it on his own, because he was the best person he knew. He stood next to him through the worst time of his life and Gerard was extremely grateful.

“Okay. As long as you’re happy, then so am I. I love you, too, Mikey.” Mikey smiled wider and Gerard returned it before looking over at his fiancé, knowing that he were only sleeping. He would wake up in a few hours and he was happy about that. He didn’t have to worry anymore. He was starting a new life with the person he was always meant to spend it with. Two comas, five years, four jobs, a new brother, and a crazy nurse couldn’t change that.


	17. Chapter 17

“Frank, it’s time,” Mikey tells the older man. Frank took a deep breath and looked at his reflection once more to fix his bowtie before turning to face his future brother in law.

“How do I look?” He asks nervously, voice slightly shaking. Mikey gives him a sympathetic smile.

“You look like the man Gerard loves with all of his being,” he responds. The ceremony hasn’t even started, but Frank is already tearing up. The two stare at each for a few more moments, Frank debating on whether or not to ask what he’s been wanting to since his discharge over two years ago. He decides that he’d ask, because he wanted to apologize.

“Mikey, I’m sorry,” he sighs. Mikey raises his brow before shifting anxiously.

“For what, Frank? You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?” Frank eyes go wide before he almost violently shakes his head.

“Oh, hell no,” he pauses, clearing his throat. “I just, well, I’m sorry because I know how you feel about Gerard. I know how much you want to be in my position,” he finished. Mikey stares at him for a moment before chuckling softly.

“Look, Frank, it’s true that I would’ve been extremely jealous of you at one point, but I’ve moved on. You know that. Hell, I moved on before you woke up the first time. You and Gerard were always meant to be together and I’d be damned to hell if I got in the way of that.” Frank hurled himself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

“I love you, Mikey. Thank you,” he whispered in his ear. Mikey hugged him back just as tight, willing the tears to not fall.

“All right. I’m ready. Let’s go.” They pulled away and walked out of the room and down the small hall leading to the doors where Gerard would be waiting for Frank at the altar. Gerard stood excitedly, staring at the door where Frank would be walking through any moment. His heart fluttered at the realization of where he was. They were thirteen years later from the first time they met, about to promise themselves to one another until their deaths, and Gerard felt the tears welling up already. He looked to the two men standing beside him, Brian and Ray, shooting them a big smile which they gladly returned.

“Are you ready?” Ray whispered to him. Gerard gave a small laugh.

“I’ve been ready for seven years,” he whispered back. Just then the sound of the doors opening echoed through the church and everyone turned their attention to Frank standing directly across the room from Gerard with Mikey behind him. Frank looked so handsome that Gerard had to cover his eyes and turn away from him for a moment to let his tears out before looking toward him once more. Frank’s eyes were red and his smile was so wide that it was hurting his face, but he didn’t care because Gerard looked the same way. On his walk to the alter, Frank thought back to the first time he saw Gerard walking in the same direction as him to the Starbucks. He thought he looked surreal. His pale skin standing out against his black hair, and his hazel eyes gleaming brighter than the sun that morning. He thought about the smile Gerard got on his face every time he was Frank, and his heart skipped a beat knowing that he was the reason for a smile so beautiful. No matter what he and Gerard had gone through since their time together, it was worth it. It was worth the torturing walk that seemed to go on forever down the church walkway. He didn’t bother to wipe away the tears streaming down his face and landing on his suit, because he wanted everyone there, their friends and family, to know exactly how much he loved Gerard and how long they both waited for this day. Finally, Frank reached Gerard, who immediately grabbed his face and wiped his tears away with his thumbs, sniffling alongside him.

“Hi,” Gerard whispered. Frank laughed quietly.

“Hi,” he said back, the smiles never leaving their face. No one else in the world mattered right now. As the pastor spoke his words, they stared endlessly into one another’s eyes, never breaking eye contact and never letting their smiles falter. They were in love, and that was obvious to everyone there. When it came time for their vows to be said, Gerard cleared his throat and opened his mouth before closing it again and laughing softly.

“This is unreal,” he began, causing everyone to laugh. “Frank, when I first saw you, I knew I wanted to be your friend. When you told me you loved me, I knew I wanted to be with you. When you said yes to my proposal, I knew this was going to be forever. Seven years later, to the day, Frankie, here we are. Standing in front of all of these people who don’t exist to us right now, and God knows there’s no other place in the world I’d rather be. I love you with everything possible of a human being and whatever else I am, because we all know I’m not normal,” he laughed. Frank laughed with him, wiping away the fresh tears rolling down his face.

“I promise to sit by your bedside whenever you’re sick and try to make you soup, but somehow burn it. I promise to make my movie and song references and reenact the musical numbers to the Wizard of Oz until you cry from laughing so hard. I promise to love all of the dogs you decide to bring home because you have such a big heart. I promise to love our future children and watch you teach them how to play guitar. I promise to even let you hold the remote control whenever you’re mad at me. Frank, I promise to do all of that and so much more that I cannot possibly say in a church and in front of our families,” Gerard continued, wiping away his own tears, “unless, of course, you want me to,” he finished his vows, ending with more laughter.

“I totally want you to,” Frank laughed. “Gerard, you took the words out of my mouth. I promise to watch terrible b-movies with you and laugh at the unrealistic amount of blood. I promise to constantly bother you when you’re drawing. I promise to one day find out what you drew in your old high school sketchbook, and frame them because I’m positive they’re as beautiful as you. I promise to wrestle with you for the remote every day and totally let you win because I’m great like that.” Gerard laughed, his hands shaking ever so slightly in Frank’s.

“I promise to hold you when you cry because your favorite book character died or because it’s May 2nd and you’re thinking about the Second Wizarding War. But most of all, Gerard, I promise to continue to make up the five years I lost with you. I know it was hard, and you’re the strongest person I know, because I’m positive no one would have waited that long at my bedside. But you did, because you love me. Out of all of the other people out there, who are probably better, your heart chose me. And not a day goes by that I don’t think I’m the luckiest person in the world, because I am. Every day that I wake up with you laying there right beside me, staring at me because you don’t think that’s a weird sight to wake up to, I’m blessed with another day with you. I love you, Gerard. You and our future three kids and fifty dogs. I love you and our future rocking chairs, because I’m cliché. I love you and only you for all of eternity.” By the time Frank was done, Gerard had to hug him because he was about to be married to this man.

“I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss the-,” the pastor began, but was interrupted when Gerard dipped Frank and kissed him deeply, transferring all of the love he felt to him. Everyone cheered and laughed and their parents wiped their tears. After separating their lips, Gerard smiled widely at him.

“Come on,” he began, “let’s go follow the yellow brick road.” Frank laughed, rolling his eyes.

“And it starts.” Frank took Gerard’s hand and gave him a challenging look. Gerard knew this gleam all too well. Before Frank could have a chance, Gerard took off running to the door, laughing loudly, and as he made it to the door, he stopped and turned just in time to hold Frank up high above his head. Frank quickly realized what he was doing and began to sing.

“Now, I’ve had the time of my life. No, I never I felt like this before. Yes, I swear it’s the truth and I owe it all to you~” Gerard began to laugh so hard that he had to put Frank down before he dropped him.

“That right there, Mr. Frank Iero-Way, is proof that you’re my soulmate. I love you,” he giggled before kissing him softly, completely unaware of everyone in the room laughing at how crazy and perfect they were together.

*****

Frank watched as Gerard bent over to stretch, triggering him to laugh.

“Gee, baby, why do you always stretch before this happens?” Gerard looks over him and smiles.

“I told you. I don’t wanna, like, pull a hammy in the midst of our raucous love making.” Frank fell back against the bed, going into a fit of hysterical laughter.

“Oh, man,” he said, wiping away a tear, “I love you so fucking much. Get over here!” Frank held out his hand to Gerard, who happily took it.

“So, I’ve already prepped myself,” Frank winked. Gerard raised a brow.

“Oh, have you? When did you find time to do that when I was with you the entire time?” he asked, a smirk gracing his features and he climbed on top of Frank. Frank wrapped his arms around Gerard’s neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

“You didn’t go into the restroom with me,” he replied. Gerard nipped softly at Frank’s neck as he reached down and felt his entrance, causing Frank to take in a small gasp of air.

“You prepped yourself well, didn’t you?” Gerard teased. Frank glanced up shyly at him. “Good,” Gerard growled, grinding his hips down into Frank’s. They both moaned at the contact.

“Gerard, baby, I know we have all night, but, please, I want you now,” Frank pleaded. Gerard nodded, complying. He spit into his hand and slicked up his member slowly, continuing to tease his husband. Frank groaned in his impatience, making Gerard smirk once again. He spread Frank’s legs apart widely as he used one of his hands to position his erection against Frank’s opening before slowly pushing inside of him. Frank arched his back off of their bed, and Gerard leaned down to plant kisses all over his chest as he continued pushing inside of him until their bodies met completely.

“Frank, oh, God. You always feel so amazing. You’re amazing, baby. I love you, my beautiful husband,” Gerard praised as he peppered Frank’s face with kisses. This was their moment, their first time as husbands. Before Frank could tell Gerard to move, the other man began thrusting into him at a steady pace, and soon picked it up as their pleasure grew.

“Gerard, harder!” Frank moaned, pushing his hips back into Gerard’s. Doing as he said, Gerard began slamming into Frank at a rapid pace, finding himself on the verge of his orgasm.

“Baby, I’m so close,” Gerard muttered into his ear, panting heavily.

“Come inside of me. I want to feel full of you, Gerard, please,” Frank panted, reaching down to stroke himself quickly. As the coil that had built up inside of the two men snapped, Frank finished all over his chest and felt as Gerard’s hips sputtered and filled him up with the warmth of his love. Gerard slowly pulled out of him, both groaning softly due to oversensitivity, and kissed Frank deeply, letting their tongues slide lazily against each other.

“Seven fucking years and you’re finally my husband. Seven years,” Gerard sighed.

“Aside from the fact that I missed out on five years, these thirteen years with you have been amazing and I couldn’t imagine what else I’d be doing with my life. I truly began living when we met, Gerard, and I will die in your arms a happy man many years from now. When we’re old and wrinkly and can’t get it up anymore. Honestly, I’m looking forward to that,” Frank giggled. Gerard smiled at him and kissed his forehead, then his cheek, his nose, and finally his lips.

“I love you, Frank Iero-Way.”

“And I love you, Gerard Iero-Way,” Frank said back, pleased with how his name sounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was literally the cheesiest ending ever, but hey it’s still good. Thank you to everyone who was reading! I do want to come back and rewrite everything because the plot has potential to be more than what I made it. 
> 
> Thank y’all so much!

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is already completed (as of June 11, 2016) over at mychemicalromancefanfiction.com under the username Originality-At-Its-Finest.


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